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Two women applying makeup in front of a mirror.
In the hands of some directors and performers, a moment like this might seem routine. But when the director is the critically acclaimed Todd Haynes, and the performers are Oscar winners Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, this kind of scene takes on layers of meaning.
The moment occurs in “May December” (Streaming on Netflix) which tells the story of actress Elizabeth Berry (Natalie Portman) whose most recent work was playing Gracie Atherton Yeo (Julianne Moore), a woman who became famous for more than two decades in a scandal involving a sexual relationship with someone. In seventh grade, whom she would eventually marry.
Elizabeth went to Savannah to spend time with Gracie and her family and to study for her part. In this scene, Gracie shares her makeup routine as the two stand in front of the mirror. It is one of several sequences in the film that involve mirrors and long shots.
In an interview discussing those decisions, Hines said he wanted to “allow the camera to catch in and observe what’s going on in these people’s lives, and this actress coming into their lives, breaking down the security and protection.” “The castle walls they’ve built around this family since that scandal happened.”
Hines said that although most scenes with Elizabeth depict her as the detective, this is one of the few times that Gracie asks Elizabeth questions.
With the mirrors and the combination of characters in this shot, Hines cited Ingmar Bergman’s “character” as an influence. He praised the performers for their success.
“A shot like this is a great idea, but it won’t work unless you have Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman.” He said.
