May December: Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore shine in Todd Haynes' latest Cannes hit.

May December, directed by Todd Haynes and starring Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, tells the story of a fraught creative collaboration between an actor and her subject. The film plays with the artifice of traditional Hollywood cinema, but ultimately promises more than it delivers. While it sets itself up as a tense chamber piece, it is also colored by the lurid downlight of tabloid culture. Despite its awareness of the issue, the film is too knowing and glossy to drive its message home.