Trigger Warning: Discussion of grooming and statutory rape
“May December” is the latest film from acclaimed filmmaker Todd Haynes (“Far from Heaven,” “Carol”), and follows an actress who studies the life of married couple Gracie and Joe, who have faced justified scrutiny due to their 23-year relationship which started when Gracie was 36 and Joe was only 13 years old. The film features Oscar winners Natalie Portman (“Black Swan”) and Julianne Moore (“Still Alice”), as well as an against-type performance from Charles Melton (“Riverdale”).
As far as the film goes, I think it’s brilliant, even if the Academy may disagree. For some reason, “May December” went largely unnoticed, only receiving a nomination for Original Screenplay at the 96th Oscars. Granted a lot of categories are only limited to five nominations, but it is disappointing to see such a beautifully directed and acted film receive so little attention from the Academy.
Melton, in particular, gave one of the best performances of 2023 as Joe. His subtle body language and facial expressions tell us everything we need to know about this layered and traumatized character. It’s clear that he has been through a lot, and he comes off as emotionally stunted because of it, which makes the performance all the more heartbreaking.
However, the film has recently been met with some criticism from one of its real-world inspirations. Writers Samy Burch and Alex Mechanik have openly admitted that their script was inspired by Mary Kay Letourneau, who, as a 34-year-old elementary school teacher, initiated a relationship with 12-year-old Vili Fualaau.
After spending over six years in prison for statutory rape, during which time their second child was born, the couple was married from 2005 to 2019 (Letourneau passed away in 2020 from cancer). Fualaau, now 40, has criticized the filmmakers for never reaching out to him when making it, going as far as to say that they ripped off his story … and as much as I love this movie, I think he may have a point.
As stated earlier, “May December” was inspired by the Letourneau case, with Burch telling The Hollywood Reporter that she used the bigger picture of the scandal as a “jumping off point” without wanting to use the nitty gritty details. While these sentiments were echoed by Haynes and Moore, there are way too many similarities between the relationships of Gracie and Joe, and Letourneau and Fualaau: both men are AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islanders), they both fathered children who were born in prison and they both ended up marrying the women who groomed them.
If that isn’t enough, there’s a pivotal scene in which Joe confronts Gracie, and she asks him “Who was the boss,” which is taken directly from an interview from five years ago. While some details are different, both the film and the real-life case have too many similarities for Fualaau’s criticisms to be invalid.
What’s interesting about his critiques is that he isn’t even opposed to seeing his and his ex-wife’s story being told on film, as was already done back in 2000 with the TV film “All-American Girl: The Mary Kay Letourneau Story.” But even with that film, lead actress Penelope Miller telephoned Letourneau to better prepare for the role … none of that was taken into account when making “May December.” Fualaau stated that he would have been open to collaborating with any writers and directors wanting to adapt his life into film but felt that Haynes and Burch had disrespected him with the film.
As said earlier, I do really love “May December” as a film. It has a lot to say, and it’s all conveyed in interesting ways. However, I do believe that Fualaau should have been involved in the production of the film in one way or another, and it’s unfortunate that they didn’t think to reach out to him – someone who “lived through a real story and is still living it.”
