Cannes: Todd Haynes’ film ‘May December’ receives a warm reception

Todd Haynes may december made a splash at Cannes, earning a six-minute standing ovation during its Saturday night premiere as cast members Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore and Charles Melton looked on.

Haynes’ latest film sees Portman as a Hollywood actress who travels to Georgia to investigate the life of Gracie (Julianne Moore, who is partnering with Haynes for the fourth time), who has become tabloid fodder after started a May-December relationship with Joe (Charles Melton), a man 23 years her junior. As she prepares for the movie about the couple’s past, Elizabeth watches Gracie and Joe’s wedding 20 years after their relationship became national news, a time when they’re about to become empty nesters.

The film, sold in the US by CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group, was written by Samy Burch, with a production team that includes Killer Films’ Christine Vachon and Will Ferrell, who was in France on Saturday night.

THE may december the premiere was delayed after Martin Scorsese’s previous premiere The flower moon killers, which lasts more than three hours. The delayed start didn’t stop audiences from reacting with big laughs during the film’s funniest moments.

“Making this film has been such a joy. We put the film together incredibly quickly,” Haynes said, after an standing ovation, adding that they shot for just 23 days in Savannah, Georgia. “It took everyone’s creative input to make this happen.”