“I want to find a character that’s difficult on the surface to understand,†Natalie Portman says in the trailer for the upcoming Netflix film, May December, directed by Todd Haynes. “Were they born, or were they made?†Portman plays Elizabeth, an actor who’s in the middle of a talkback at a high school. The kids are probably wondering why she chose to play a 36-year-old woman who had sex with a seventh grader, had their child in jail, and then married him upon release. The actor heads to Savannah, Georgia, to research the role and have an extended stay with the real-life woman, Gracie (Julianne Moore), 23 years after she began the relationship with the now 36-year-old boy, Joe (Charles Melton). “He came to the pet store looking for a job,†Gracie tells the story of how she and Joe first met over dinner. The summer after sixth grade? “Seventh,†the couple says in unison. Emotions reach a boiling point over the course of Elizabeth’s research trip. There’s a shot of Gracie in tears, a stroll through the woods where Joe says he’s not a victim, Elizabeth being absolutely creepy in a high school hallway. May December will begin disturbing audiences on November 17, before arriving on Netflix December 1.
May December Looks Pretty, Disturbing
