The Portrayal of Stolen Innocence In May December
Netflix
Carol is one of my favorite films, so I knew I had to watch Todd Haynes's newest film, May December, once it landed on Netflix, and I went into this one blind. I didn't even watch the trailers and was very shocked by the film's subject matter, but ultimately walked away from it disturbed, inspired, and ready to start an Oscar campaign for Charles Melton.
Netflix
May December is based on a story by Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik and shares many similarities to the story of Mary Kay Letourneau. This film follows an actress who travels to the state of Georgia to study the life of the woman she will play in a movie that starts shooting in a few weeks. This woman is infamous for her 20+ year relationship with her husband, whom she met when he was only 13 years old. - Wikipedia
In all honesty, I watched this film because Todd Haynes directed it and because I am a fan of Julianne Moore, but Charles Melton's performance deeply moved me.
Netflix
When Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) wants to meet with Joe (Melton) privately to talk about his relationship with Gracie (Moore), he is apprehensive at first. During one of their conversations, she asks him not to tell anyone. The look on his face reveals a memory from when he was in a relationship with Gracie in seventh grade. I assume she has told him not to tell anybody on multiple occasions, fearing what may happen if he did, but he stayed quiet.
Netflix
It seems like he and Gracie’s relationship is… strained. He is constantly dealing with her variations in mood due to the consequences of her actions. She also reduces his interest in butterflies to ‘his bugs.’ Elizabeth asked questions about the ‘bugs’ in the living room, and Joe seemed to be shocked that someone gave a damn about something he likes and cares about and proceeded to explain them to Elizabeth joyfully. His excitement reminds me of a child who got a new toy or book and cannot wait to tell someone about it.
Netflix
Becoming an empty nester at 36 is forcing Joe to confront the youthful innocence that was stolen from him at the age of 13. Elizabeth tells him he is young and can start over. They then sleep with one another, and I assume he is under the impression that he can start over with her. She dismisses the idea and says, “That’s what grown-ups do.” After being rejected due to not understanding adult feelings, Joe realizes he must talk to Gracie about the elephant in the room. He tells her that he believes he was too young and wasn’t able to make proper decisions, and Gracie says he seduced her, and I kid you not, I GASPED. I ain’t never heard of someone blaming a thirteen-year-old CHILD for seducing them. (Is this the comedic element?) He made grown-up decisions at a young age for the sake of his children. But now they are off to college. He will be alone 24/7 with Gracie, and Elizabeth opens his eyes, and he realizes this is not the life he wants and he is not in love.
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I’m Andrea, a passionate traveler and film enthusiast. I want to share my experiences and insights through informative videos and vlogs, and blog posts. I create travel vlogs and videos on my channel detailing my experiences with flights, hotels, cruises, tours, and tourist cards. If you love travel, comic cons, cruising, Disney, and/or film, you’ve come to the right place.