May December
May December is a 2023 American drama film directed by Todd Haynes from a screenplay by Samy Burch, based on a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik. Loosely inspired by the Mary Kay Letourneau scandal, it stars Natalie Portman as an actress who travels to meet and study the life of the controversial woman (Julianne Moore) she is set to play in a film—a woman infamous for the 23-year-long relationship with her husband (Charles Melton) which began when he was 13 years old.
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Release poster | |
| Directed by | Todd Haynes |
| Screenplay by | Samy Burch |
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| Produced by |
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| Cinematography | Christopher Blauvelt |
| Edited by | Affonso Gonçalves |
| Music by | Marcelo Zarvos |
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
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Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $2.4 million |
The film was announced in June 2021, with Portman and Moore joining the cast. Filming took place in mid-2022 in Savannah, Georgia. It premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 20, 2023, where Netflix acquired the North American distribution rights.
May December was released in select theaters in the United States on November 17, 2023, before streaming on Netflix on December 1, 2023. It received critical acclaim and various accolades, including four nominations at the 81st Golden Globe Awards and a Best Original Screenplay nomination at the 96th Academy Awards, and was chosen by the American Film Institute as one of the top ten films of 2023.