Todd Haynes’s ‘Safe’: A Masterpiece of Psychological Horror

1995 Todd Haynes’s masterpiece, Safe, starring Julianne Moore, came out. It was a dirty psychological horror film about a woman whose life is boring until she gets a mystery disease that changes everything. The hauntingly beautiful work of counter-cinema has quietly won its reputation as one of the most important films of the 1990s, and its themes of modern malaise and ecological extrapolations feel especially relevant today. Since the success of Safe, Moore and Haynes have worked together on a number of well-received projects. These include the romantic drama Far From Good, which was nominated for an Academy Award, and the experimental biopic I’m Not There, which is based on the life of singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. This year, they will work together again in the romantic thriller film May December, which also stars Natalie Portman and Charles Melton.

Todd Haynes’s Provocative Work and the Anticipation for ‘May December’

Todd Haynes is known for his provocative and early transgressive work, which often focuses on the outsiders of society and explores identity and sexuality through a crooked and subversive narrative structure that re-imagines the language of cinema and shows his influence as one of the most important figures in New Queer Cinema. May December looks like it will be another important addition to the director’s long list of great movies. At Cannes, both Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman were praised for their complex roles in this dark, campy story based on a true story. So, before you watch it, check out our guide, which has all the information you need about the cast, team, trailers, and when it will come out.

May December Cast

• Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry

• Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo

• Charles Melton as Joe

• Piper Curda as Honor Atherton-Yoo

• Cory Michael Smith as Georgie Atherton

• D.W. Moffett as Tom Atherton

• Drew Scheid as Cameron

• Elizabeth Yu as Mary Atherton-Yoo

• Jocelyn Shelfo as Sofia

What is the Release Date Of May December?

May December had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival on May 20. It was shown alongside movies like Killers of the Flower Moon by Martin Scorsese, and it was praised by reviewers all over the world. The movie will be shown for the first time in North America at the 61st New York Film Festival, which it will start.

On November 17, 2023, the movie will be shown in some theaters across the United States. On December 1, 2023, it will be available to watch on Netflix.

Is There a Trailer for ‘May December’?

On September 5, Netflix showed the first sneak peek for May December. The teaser is cut together with evocative images and pull-quotes from the film’s gushing reviews. It shows Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore’s characters in carefully crafted cold vignettes, with Natalie Portman’s character delivering a cheesy line on the paper in the most over-the-top and sinister way.

On December 26, 2023, Netflix put out the original trailer for the movie May December. In the trailer, Elizabeth Berry, played by Portman, goes to meet Gracie (Moore) and Joe as part of her study for a new movie in which she will play Gracie.

What Is ‘May December’ Plot?

May December is partly based on the story of Mary Kay Letourneau, an American school teacher and sex offender who had an affair with one of her students, Vili Fualaau, when he was only twelve years old. The relationship was wrong and became well-known. Even though the government got involved and Letourneau was in jail for a long time, their relationship didn’t end. Letourneau gave birth to Fualaau’s children while she was in jail, and the two got married after she got out in 2005. But as is typical for Todd Haynes, the story is told in an unusual way. May December is about an actress, played by Natalie Portman, who goes to meet a couple whose scandalous age-gap relationship has been written about in the tabloids so she can do research for a movie about their lives. The intriguing concept leads to a disturbing story told in a funny meta way, like Charlie Kaufman’s Adaptation, that goes deeper into the heart of the relationship to reveal its darkest and most personal secrets.

The following synopsis has been officially released by Netflix:

“In May December, popular television actor Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) heads to Savannah, Georgia, to research a part in a new film that follows a scandalous tabloid romance. That love affair — between Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) — was once a fixture of the gossip pages. After all, Joe is significantly younger than Gracie, who served time in prison when they were caught together. When she was released, the pair were married, and they now have two children together who are about to graduate from high school. At first glance, their untraditional marriage looks more predictable than Elizabeth expected. But soon, her observation brings long-dormant feelings to the surface, and the decades-old scandal reveals deeper and deeper layers. From first-time screenwriter Samy Burch, May December is a deliciously witty film about performance and exploitation that juggles surreal melodrama with humane perception.”