May December is a 2023 psychological drama directed by Todd Haynes, released by Netflix on December 1, 2023, after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival earlier that year. The screenplay is credited to Samy Burch, from a story by Burch and Alex Mechanik. The film stars Natalie Portman as an actress researching a role, Julianne Moore as the woman she’s portraying, and Charles Melton as that woman’s much-younger husband.
The story is loosely inspired by the real-life Mary Kay Letourneau tabloid scandal of the 1990s, but it’s heavily fictionalized: Letourneau’s relationship with student Vili Fualaau began in 1996 when he was 12 years old and she was his teacher, while the film relocates the story to Savannah, Georgia, changes the couple’s first meeting to a pet-store job, and ages its fictional Joe to 13 at the start of the affair. Samy Burch’s screenplay went on to earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.
Quick Facts
| Director | Todd Haynes |
| Writer | Samy Burch (screenplay); story by Samy Burch & Alex Mechanik |
| Composer | Marcelo Zarvos (with adapted music by the late Michel Legrand) |
| Starring | Natalie Portman, Julianne Moore, Charles Melton |
| Studio / Distributor | Netflix |
| Release date | December 1, 2023 |
| Genre | Psychological drama |
| Inspired by | The Mary Kay Letourneau case (heavily fictionalized) |
Who Composed the May December Soundtrack?
Marcelo Zarvos, a Brazilian pianist and composer with more than 60 film scores to his name — including Kissing Jessica Stein, The Door in the Floor, Sin Nombre, Boynton Beach Club, and Todd Haynes’s Dark Waters (2019) — composed and scored May December. Rather than writing an entirely original score, Zarvos built much of it around an adaptation and reorchestration of the late Michel Legrand’s 1971 score for Joseph Losey’s forbidden-romance drama The Go-Between, a deliberate homage that Haynes wanted from the earliest stages — he reportedly played Legrand’s original score on set during filming to help set the tone. Zarvos then added his own original cues around that adapted material, which is why the soundtrack album credits both composers, even though Legrand died in 2019, four years before this film was made.
May December Soundtrack List
Here is the complete score tracklist, from the album May December (Soundtrack from the Netflix Film), released December 1, 2023. You can listen to it on Spotify, Amazon Music, and Apple Music.
- Opening – Michel Legrand
- Elizabeth Drives – Marcelo Zarvos
- Studying Gracie – Michel Legrand
- Butterfly Eggs – Michel Legrand
- Elizabeth Meets Ex – Michel Legrand
- Storage Room – Marcelo Zarvos
- Old Photos – Michel Legrand
- Joe and Father Talk – Marcelo Zarvos
- School Visit – Marcelo Zarvos
- Graduation – Michel Legrand
- Gracie Cries – Marcelo Zarvos
- Mirror Images – Michel Legrand
- Joe Showers – Michel Legrand
- Dropping Off Mary – Marcelo Zarvos
- The Letter – Marcelo Zarvos
- Elizabeth On Set – Michel Legrand
Additional Music of May December
Alongside the score, a handful of licensed needle-drops appear in the film:
- All Are One by Sophe Lux & The Mystic, from their 2016 album of the same name.
- Tightrope by Leon Russell, from his 1972 album Carney — his third solo studio album, which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.
- Baby, I Love Your Way by Peter Frampton, from his 1975 album Frampton.
Where to Stream May December
May December is exclusive to Netflix. The soundtrack album can be streamed separately on Spotify and Amazon Music. (External Link: Tunefind)
Cast
- Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry
- Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo
- Charles Melton as Joe Yoo
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the May December soundtrack, and why is Michel Legrand credited on a 2023 film?
Marcelo Zarvos composed and adapted the score, building several cues around the late Michel Legrand’s 1971 score for The Go-Between as an intentional homage requested by director Todd Haynes, then adding his own original music around it.
Is May December based on a true story?
It’s loosely inspired by the real Mary Kay Letourneau case, but heavily fictionalized. Vili Fualaau was 12 when his relationship with teacher Letourneau began in 1996; the film changes the setting to Savannah, Georgia, the couple’s first meeting to a pet-store job, and ages its fictional Joe to 13.
Where can I watch May December?
Netflix, exclusively.
Did May December win any awards?
Samy Burch’s screenplay earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay, and the film premiered in competition at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.
What other films has composer Marcelo Zarvos scored?
His credits include Kissing Jessica Stein, The Door in the Floor, Sin Nombre, Boynton Beach Club, and Todd Haynes’s earlier film Dark Waters (2019).
Related reading: Browse the Movie Soundtrack hub or the Netflix hub for more.