‘May December’: How Bergman, Mirror Play and Ace Acting Shaped the Netflix Film’s Unique Look

They say that one person’s loss is another person’s gain, but cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt had mixed emotions about his recent good fortune in landing the coveted director of photography gig on “May December,” the latest film from Todd Haynes. The director is known for his Oscar-nominated collaborations with longtime colleague Ed Lachman, which include “Carol” and “Far from Heaven.” Lachman, however, suffered a broken hip after a fall while shooting Pablo Larraín’s “El Conde,” and Haynes needed a new set of eyes. So he turned to his filmmaker pal Kelly Reichardt for recommendations, and Blauvelt stepped aboard the darkly comic tale of a tenacious actress, Elizabeth (Natalie Portman), infiltrating the lives of Gracie (Julianne Moore), a Mary Kay Letourneau-esque homemaker and her much younger husband, Joe (Charles Melton), who was 13 when they first got together.

“Kelly and Todd are teachers for me, I learned so much from them,” said Blauvelt, who also shot Reichardt’s “Showing Up,” released in 2023. Haynes, he said, is a master of tone and was magnificently prepared for the “May December” shoot, which took place on location in Savannah, Georgia on a tight 23-day shooting schedule. But even he was surprised by how the Netflix film morphed once Haynes joined forces with Portman and Moore.

“It did read as a dark, humorous experience,” he said. “But the way they expanded on that material was something that I didn’t expect. The scene in the bathroom where the women are doing the makeup became a very sexualized experience that didn’t read that way.” He highlighted the movie’s bold use of mirrors to underscore the idea of Portman and Moore’s characters as doubles. In one spectacularly staged shot in a dressing room, we see Gracie and Elizabeth looking at each other in the mirror, with Gracie ominously reflected twice.  “Nobody saw that tone until Julianne, Natalie and Todd sat in a room and blocked it out,” he said. “You’re watching legends make art in front of your eyes, and that was something that you couldn’t read on the page. It started exploring deeper, nuanced subtexts in real time.”

Haynes and Blauvelt leaned heavily into Ingmar Bergman’s “Persona” and “Winter Light” for scenes such as these.  The cinematographer also noted Haynes’ liberal use of Michel Legrand’s score for Joseph Losey’s “The Go-Between” (re-orchestrated by “May December” composer Marcelo Zarvos), which allowed Blauvelt to have some fun with zooms and play with the slightest hint of camp, as evidenced in a dramatic moment where Moore’s character laments the underabundance of hot dogs for a cookout. “The score is so upfront and in your face, Todd really wanted to lean into this amazing aesthetic,” he said. “(That’s) something I just couldn’t picture Kelly doing—she loves more of a neo-realistic approach. Todd was a bit more wild and loves using things from the past.”

Blauvelt’s father worked as a first assistant cameraman for decades in Hollywood, and he’s a protégé of the late cinematographer Harris Savides (“Gerry,” “The Game”). But even with that background, he seemed stunned by his luck in working with Haynes and Reichardt, two of the premiere independent filmmakers of their era. “That’s something that you dream of,” he said. “People are bringing things up for all the right reasons. It’s a really good way to work.”

This story first appeared in the Below-the-Line issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. Read more from the issue here.

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