May December

May December has built a devoted audience in Australia on Netflix, and in the US on Netflix among viewers who want their drama to earn its emotional beats. It says what it needs to say in one sitting, no filler. Its 7/10 TMDB score, built from 1,044 ratings, reflects a title that consistently delivers. Watch it for Natalie Portman — one of the stronger performances out there right now. There is no real reason to keep putting it off — it is right there on Netflix.

May December is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. May December trusts its audience to sit with discomfort instead of resolving it too quickly. Twenty years after their notorious tabloid romance gripped the nation, a married couple buckles under the pressure when an actress arrives to do research for a film about their past. The performances from Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore give it more weight than the premise alone would suggest. May December came out in 2023. What elevates May December is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

For anyone looking for storytelling that takes its characters seriously, May December delivers. It has built its own audience without needing a direct comparison. Short enough to finish in one sitting, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Natalie Portman carries the material with a performance that rewards close attention. Worth starting sooner rather than later.