The 2023 New York Film Festival kicked off on Friday night in the aftermath of a generational rainstorm that left many neighborhoods within the five boroughs flooded. But the historic weather event didn’t dampen the critical response to the fest’s opening night feature, “May December,” nor the film’s standout supporting performance from former “Riverdale” star Charles Melton.
“I don’t know ‘Riverdale,’ so Charles Melton was new to me, and he’s extraordinary in a quiet, very difficult role,” author Mark Harris wrote on social media, a sentiment shared by many on the networking platform.
“Charles Melton is the real deal in ‘May December.’ His work is intricate, conveying a hollowed-out shell of a man discovering in real time what he’s lost. Holding your own against two titans like Julianne [Moore] and Natalie [Portman] is one thing, but he’s shattering alone. An Oscar nod is in play,” another New York Film Festival attendee wrote.
Written by Samy Burch – who, thanks to the resolution of the writers’ strike, was on hand at the film’s North American premiere – and directed by Todd Haynes, “May December” is an arch melodrama about Elizabeth (played by Portman), an actress who comes to Savannah, Georgia, to research her next role: a local pet shop worker named Gracie (Moore), who – decades earlier – was arrested and jailed for having sex with a 13-year-old boy named Joe. Now, years later, and after much tabloid fascination, Gracie and Joe (played by Melton) are married with three kids – one in college and two on the verge of high school graduation. The tension between the three main players is what drives “May December,” with Melton providing much of the film’s pathos as a grown man starting to realize what was robbed of him as a child due to his now-wife’s sexual assault.
“I really like the tonal mix of humor and real, genuine sadness and heartbreak,” Burch said of how she approached the screenplay after the “May December” press and industry screening on Friday morning. “I feel like some of the humor is so uncomfortable that it breaks the tension. Some of it, maybe, is more acerbic. … That’s what I’m interested in.”
Due to the ongoing actors’ strike, none of the film’s cast was present at the New York Film Festival for the fall launch of “May December.” (The film debuted at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it was promptly picked up for distribution by Netflix.) In remarks before the premiere, Haynes expressed sadness that his acclaimed cast was unable to attend, a sentiment shared by many industry professionals at the afterparty at New York’s Tavern on the Green. But that didn’t stop Melton’s name from being mentioned often in casual conversation as the film’s breakout. He’s currently in 10th place in the combined Gold Derby odds – but it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him rise from there over the next few weeks as “May December” screens more widely at regional festivals and press and industry events.
The film debuts in theaters on November 17 before arriving on Netflix starting on December 1.
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