In the experimental montage that opens “Persona,” a bare-chested teenage boy caresses a screen upon which the faces of two women slowly morph back and forth. It’s easy to imagine Todd Haynes being …
), who was caught in a sexual relationship with a 7th grader at the age of 36. Can playing this Mary Kay Letourneau-like tabloid sensation really answer what makes such a woman tick?
As Gracie Atherton-Yoo, Moore plays a woman with a Teflon conscience who, even after more than two decades, is still deflecting public criticism. It didn’t help that there was a crappy TV movie made about the scandal at the time, which Haynes amusingly samples at one point. Now a grandmother , Gracie hopes that a new indie film will bring some nuance to her story — which doesn’t seem especially likely, if Netflix’s “The Staircase” and other examples are to be considered.
Haynes and screenwriter Samy Burch present that backstory in pieces, allowing audiences to form their first impressions of Gracie before discovering her crime. Tone is everything in movies like this, and Haynes goes out of his way to avoid the sensationalism that made “To Die For” or “Cry-Baby” so delectably campy.
“May December” operates on many levels at once, allowing audiences to speculate as to Gracie’s motivations even as we watch Elizabeth “become” her character. At night, she goes back to the local home she’s renting — “quaint,” by her description, posh by anyone else’s — and watches video auditions with the underage actors who could be her co-star, remarking that they’re “not sexy enough.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
See All the Looks From Day 4 of the Cannes Film Festival Red CarpetNatalie Portman and more stars put on their sparkliest gowns for ‘The Zone of Interest’ premiere.
Read more »
All the Red-Carpet Looks From Day 4 of the Cannes Film FestivalIncluding Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Elle Fanning, and more
Read more »
'No One's Ever Asked Me To Return' - Why Hasn't Disney Brought Natalie Portman Back To Star Wars?Natalie Portman has addressed a potential Star Wars comeback as Padmé Amidala, revealing that no one at Lucasfilm has ever asked her to return.
Read more »
Natalie Portman's vision for women's soccer takes flight with Los Angeles' Angel City Football ClubWhen Oscar-winner Natalie Portman had a wild dream to start a professional women's soccer team in Los Angeles, the stars aligned in her favor.
Read more »
The 2023 Cannes Red Carpet Has Once Again Destroyed the Met Gala (Updated!)The film festival Cannes-tinues with looks from Cate Blanchett, Natalie Portman, some beautiful randos, and more.
Read more »
Lakewood to restructure barking dog ordinance following incident at Waterbury home last DecemberNews 5 is following through on a story we first told you about in December involving a home on Waterbury Road in Lakewood where police rescued more than 40 beagles living in what has been described as uninhabitable conditions.
Read more »