Loic Venance/AFP via Getty Images
Todd Haynes returned to the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night with his latest, may december, playing in the competition. The complex melodrama starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore garnered eight minutes of standing ovation inside the Grand Théâtre Lumière.
The screening began after a delay of approximately 40 minutes, as the film premiered before Haynes’ Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. It was a slightly weary crowd that finally entered the venue to see Haynes’ latest film.
The enthusiastic response in Cannes’ biggest venue was at least matched by a simultaneous press screening in the adjacent Debut theatre, where there was heavy applause – a rare feat for the press corps here.
RELATED: Cannes Film Festival 2023 in photos
Addressing the Lumiere audience, standing between Portman and Moore, Haynes said: “Producing this film was such a pleasure … We shot it in Savannah over 23 days – it took everyone’s full cooperation to make it possible.” “
In may december, Haynes tells the story of two women at two stages of their lives. A painful turn in the past for the older star in his sixties, who seeks to turn the page, faced with a grim and dangerous search for the truth from a Hollywood star at the top of his career. Between the two, the male character of Joe (Charles Melton) subtly weaves threads between actresses and eras.
Sammy Burch wrote the screenplay from a story by Burch and Alex Mechanic. Jessica Albaum and Will Ferrell of Gloria Sanchez Productions and Christine Vachon and Pam Koffler of Killer Films are producing with Portman and Sophie Maas under their MountainEye banner. Grant S. Johnson and Tyler W. Cooney are producing and fully financing through their respective companies Project Infinity and Taylor & Dodge.
RELATED: Cannes Palme d’Or Winners Through the Years: Photo Gallery
Haynes is an Cannes regular. Here was his last film of 2021 velvet Undergroundwhich was voted out of the competition, and was preceded by such competition entries as of 2017 stunnedof 2015 Tune and 1998 velvet Goldmine, Tune Notably for Rooney Mara received the Best Actress Award at Cannes. He was later nominated for an Oscar, as was Cate Blanchett.
Zac Ntim contributed to this report.