May December is a drama about an actress named Elizabeth who goes to Georgia to study a couple with a scandalous past. The husband was only thirteen when their relationship started with a thirty-six-year-old woman, and now they are married. The movie features a gay character named Georgie who is open about his life. The director and lead actresses have also described the psychological power struggle between the main women as having strong queer themes.
Community feedback
Was our 43% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for May December.
Woke representation / casting
The movie has a diverse cast. Charles Melton plays a main role. This matches the real-life inspiration's background. One of the characters is Georgie, who is openly gay. Because of this confirmed queer character, we add extra points to this score. The rest of the casting is standard and does not feel like forced diversity.
35%
Woke political dialogue
The characters do not lecture the audience. There are no political buzzwords. The dialogue is normal and fits the characters well. The conversations are about their feelings and family problems. They talk about old secrets and personal pain rather than political issues.
0%
Identity-driven story themes
The main story is about trauma and family secrets. However, the film has strong undercurrents of gender and power. The director and stars have publicly talked about the queer subtext in the movie. Also, the character Georgie is openly gay. These elements add significant weight to this factor.
42%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The film shows the dark side of a suburban family. It shows how people hide secrets to look normal. It also criticizes how television and tabloids exploit real trauma for entertainment. These are mild critiques of media culture rather than a strong attack on Western society.
3%
Woke character or canon changes
This film is inspired by a real-life news story from the 1990s. The filmmakers changed the names of the real people. They also moved the setting from Washington to Georgia. These are normal changes for a fictional movie. They are not done for political reasons.
0%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
There was no major political backlash against this movie. Anti-woke commentators did not accuse the film of pushing a left-wing agenda. A few people on social media discussed the queer subtext, but there were no large campaigns against it.
0%
Creator track record context
Many of the creative people have a history of progressive work. Director Todd Haynes and producer Christine Vachon are famous for making queer movies. Producers Natalie Portman and Sophie Mas run a company that supports female and nonbinary artists. This background shapes the movie's artistic style.
64%
Production
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