May December
WARNING : SPOILERS ahead for May December .
Summary
The new Netflix dramaMay Decemberhad one of the most disturbing endings of any movie in 2023 . The critically applaud film is already give buzz for the upcoming accolade season and will very likely be a competition in the acting category at the very least . The Todd Haynes pic ( Carol , Safe ) stars Natalie Portman ( Black Swan , Jackie ) as fictional method acting actress Elizabeth Berrywho enters the lives of Gracie and Joe , a controversial couple who made external newspaper headline played by Julianne Moore ( Still Alice , Boogie Nights ) and Charles Melton ( Riverdale ) .
TheMay Decembercastalso feature functioning from Cory Michael Smith ( Carol , Transatlantic ) and Piper Curda ( The Flash , I Did n’t Do It ) who play two of Gracie ’s children from disjoined marriages . May Decemberfeatures take exception and unsettling themes about denial , impersonation , disgrace , and deceit wrap around a screenplay by first - prison term writer Samy Burch . The film is based on the true story of Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau , a level school teacher and a 12 - class - old son who form an unlawful family relationship in 1996 . The ending of Todd Haynes ' plastic film offer a shivery and perturbing portraying of not only their character but of Natalie Portman ’s Elizabeth as well .
The multifaceted termination of Todd Haynes ' May December finds Portman ’s Elizabeth speculate the truth of Moore ’s controversial Gracie character .
Elizabeth’s “Chemistry” Monologue Makes Her Final May December Scene So Much More Disturbing
While many substantial - life method actors bring their work home with them , Natalie Portman ’s Elizabeth definitely cross the blood line on just how immersive and emulating an actor should be while get up for a role . Elizabeth blatantly tries to imitate and paste Gracie ’s similitude not only into her functioning but also into her being , interiorize and engross every detail of his strong-arm coming into court , mannerisms , and even mind . Elizabeth ’s method acting brings her to an understanding of the controversial and unstable Gracie until one final curveball in the mop up instant of the film undermines that translate altogether .
Elizabeth is so performative that she appear to be dally a eccentric even in her own life story . Earlier in the movie , she go into a retentive soliloquy during a high school acting course in which she utter about how the lines of chemistry with another worker can blur when take sexual practice scenes . Considering she had been trying to take her method acting act to the full extent by literally becoming Gracie , her insistence on another take inMay December’sfinal scene suggests that she could actually be render to become attract to and find " chemistry " with the young actorshe ’s act with as part of her " method " .
Todd Haynes ' approaching Netflix drama May December is based on the scarey real - life dearest and crime story of Mary Kay Letourneau and Vili Fualaau .
May December Is Natalie Portman’s Most Shocking Movie Ending Since Black Swan
Some element ofMay December , peculiarly the darkly obsessive timbre of Portman ’s character , are quite interchangeable to one of her most famous and acclaimed films , Black Swan . As far as pic end go , May Decemberis right up there withBlack Swanin terms of its shock value , asboth Elizabeth Berry and Nina Sayers exhaust themselves for their passion and careers only to end up sabotaged by their ego - destructive pursuits . The ending ofMayDecemberlands on a short letter of dawdle anxiousness , which is mostly what Elizabeth ’s presence in the film invokes .