Todd Haynes parses the gray areas of ‘May December’

Director Todd Haynes’ films tend to center around female characters in domestic spaces who lack agency in their own lives, and who also might be battling some kind of illness, real or perceived. His latest in that canon is May December, starring Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, and Charles Melton, now streaming on Netflix. The film unfolds as an actress, played by Portman, visits a married couple who became involved when the wife, played by Moore, worked at a pet store Melton frequented when he was in middle school. Haynes tells The Treatment about why illness has often been central in his films. He talks about how certain characters are often marginalized both in the plot of his films and also within the frames, and discusses the very gray areas of May December.

More: Todd Haynes and Christine Vachon on ‘Carol’