May December

Perhaps the most sympathetic character in May December is a former schoolteacher who had an affair with a seventh-grade student and later married him.

Picking up where the tabloids usually leave off, this well-acted character study from director Todd Haynes (Carol) — loosely based on the infamous 1990s Mary Kay Letourneau case — navigates morally unsettling territory with an assured balance of melodrama and biting satirical edge.

Despite the idyllic setting, there are hints of tension from the get-go, when a package of feces is left on the porch of the suburban beach house shared by florist Gracie (Julianne Moore), her much younger husband, Joe (Charles Melton), and their three kids.

Details are gradually revealed about their checkered past through Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), an asthmatic actress doing research for a tawdry cable-television film about their story.

They’ve been together for more than 20 years, and Elizabeth’s arrival coincides with the subtle deepening of cracks in their marriage, exacerbated by their oldest son (Gabriel Chung) preparing to leave for college.

Nevertheless, Gracie and Joe have adjusted to life as consenting adults and mostly garnered acceptance from the surrounding community. Yet as Elizabeth probes — drawing a mix of fascination and bewilderment throughout her visit — secrets and gossip start to resurface.

What are Elizabeth’s true motives? Will she tear the family apart? “I am naïve. I always have been,” Gracie shares. “In a way, it’s been a gift.”

Haynes playfully dissects the absurdity in their lack of self-awareness. Meanwhile, the committed performances bring emotional depth layered with empathetic vulnerability while confronting the deeper ethical complexities on all sides.

For example, Portman and rookie screenwriter Samy Burch explore an actor’s responsibility in the gray area between entertainment and exploitation. Gracie shows no remorse or contrition, but does she deserve to have old wounds reopened and be burdened with more guilt and regret?

Twisted and seductive, the film doesn’t provide easy answers, which helps to build and sustain tension, even if it becomes muddled in the final act as the turmoil inevitably bubbles to the surface.

Although the buildup overshadows the payoff, May December benefits from intriguing character dynamics in examining temptation, control, and commitment. The cliché about life imitating art has rarely felt more apt.

Rated R, 117 minutes.