May December Ending Explained

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for May December.

The ending of Todd Haynes’ May December reveals just how successful Elizbeth Berry’s (Natalie Portman) strange method acting techniques were in her study of Gracie Atherton (Julianne Moore). The new Netflix drama features outstanding performances from Portman and Moore, who make their first onscreen appearance together alongside a breakout performance from Charles Melton as Joe Yoo. The complex melodrama tackles subjects such as shame, denial, and imitation through various lenses, masks, and mirror symbolism, resulting in a wonderfully textured yet accessible final product.

May December’s cast also features appearances by Cory Michael Smith and Piper Curda who play two of Gracie’s children with separate fathers. Both Smith’s Georgie and Piper’s Honor offer interesting perspectives on the insular world of Gracie and Joe, finding humor in Elizabeth’s interest in their mom’s “messed up” story. Elizabeth presents herself with an air of majesty while quietly lurking and analyzing every detail of Gracie’s character, hoping that by the end of her visit, she will have found the “truth” of Gracie’s character. Elizabeth, who proves to be quite snakish and manipulative in May December, finds out that she may have underestimated Gracie from the start,

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What Happens in May December’s Ending

The ending of May December begins on the day of Charlie and Mary Atherton-Yoo’s high school graduation. As the last two kids leaving the house before making empty-nesters out of Gracie and Joe, there is already a lot of emotion swirling around the major life event which is only intensified by Elizabeth’s lingering presence. Elizabeth shows up at the high school graduation ceremony, where she knows nobody at all outside of Gracie and her family, appearing to have completely mastered and embodied the part of Gracie. Gracie, however, has one final message for Elizabeth before she flies back to Hollywood with her likeness in a notebook.

Gracie asks Elizabeth whether she believes she understands her, to which Elizabeth attests that she does. Gracie has one final trick up her sleeve, telling Elizabeth that her eccentric yet talented son Georgie should have never told that lie about her brothers molesting her as a child. Elizabeth is taken aback, thinking that Gracie wasn’t aware of her private exchange with Georgie when he shared that information with her. Gracie confirms that Georgie made up that “disgusting” story, which quietly infuriates Elizabeth as she realizes she’s been undermined and played with by the two of them, ultimately discrediting her “understanding” of Gracie altogether.

Gracie’s Scene With The Fox In The Woods Explained

On the morning of Charlie and Mary’s graduation, Gracie misses breakfast with her family and takes her shotgun out to the woods with her dogs. She appears to be on the hunt, tracking down unwelcome predators in the area when she comes across a fox staring directly into her eyes. Gracie limply holds her weapon, staring back at the fox with misty, gleaming eyes that shine over an empty core. The two predators examine each other in stillness as Gracie appears to recognize something about herself and her life. The scene could also represent Gracie figuring out Elizabeth as the intellectual predator she is and the threat she possesses in killing her reputation with her Hollywood movie.

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Why Joe Cries Alone At Charlie & Mary’s Graduation

Since Elizabeth showed up in his life, Joe has had a nuanced and evaluative journey of self-reflection and his desires for the future. Joe choosing not to sit with Gracie at Charlie and Mary’s graduation indicates that he may need more space away from her after the kids go off to college. With Joe having to grow up so fast in May December, he surely missed out on a lot of typical life experiences that prevented him from leading a normal life. In this final image of Joe in May December, both the child and the parent in Joe cry for separate reasons.

Watching Charlie and Mary graduate high school, something that the real-life Vili Fualaau and presumably Joe never did, likely has Joe feeling waves of regret and disappointment. He also cries from this intimate chapter of parenthood ending, as well as at his confusion about what direction his life will go in from that point on. Some of his tears are likely from the joy of liberation, now that Joe finally has the opportunity to pursue his individual interests now that his parental obligations are over, with or without Gracie.

Did Georgie Lie About Gracie’s Brothers?

It’s difficult to determine whether Georgie or Gracie was the one who lied to Elizabeth about Gracie’s brothers in May December. On one hand, Georgie clearly had an ulterior motive in offering that information to Elizabeth, asking for a job as a music supervisor on her film immediately after. Georgie could have fabricated that information about his mother in order to make it seem like he had done Elizabeth a favor, hoping that she would return with one of her own. On the other hand, Gracie does talk about her brothers often in May December and Georgie’s information would explain a lot about Gracie’s true character, which is essentially all that Elizabeth cares about in the film.

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Elizabeth Wants Multiple Takes To Find Gracie’s “Truth”

The final scene of May December features Elizabeth in full costume as Gracie on the set of the Hollywood film she plays her in. The scene mimics the view of a production camera that shoots multiple coverage takes of a scene in the Gracie movie, portraying Elizabeth’s on-and-off portrayal of the character. After a few takes, the director is ready to move on to the next scene but Elizabeth asks for another take, claiming that she’s getting closer to the “truth” of Gracie with each one. In truth, Elizabeth appears completely lost on the set, a sign that her bizarre method techniques hadn’t brought her closer at all to capturing the real Gracie.

The Real Meaning Of May December’s Ending

Elizabeth’s distant gaze of confusion at the end of May December indicates that even after her intensive study of Gracie, she still doesn’t fully understand her. Georgie’s detail about Gracie’s brothers brought her to understand Gracie as a victim of abuse. However, at Charlie and Mary’s graduation, Gracie throws a final wrench in Elizabeth’s interpretation of her that completely flips the script, claiming that Georgie had lied. Elizabeth feels deceived that Gracie and Georgie had communicated about their conversation, which is a sign of her own naïveté and self-importance.

If Georgie was telling the truth, Gracie appears to be in denial about what happened with her brothers, much like she is about her “healthy” relationship with Joe. Gracie previously reveals to Elizabeth that she’s naive, which has been a protective shield and a “gift” in her life from the horrors of reality. In this way, things that Gracie doesn’t agree with don’t belong in her worldview or self-assessment, making her somewhat delusional. Ironically, Gracie’s final request to Elizabeth was to ensure she appeared stable in her movie. Elizabeth realizes that she’s been pulling from an unreliable source in Gracie, explaining her difficulty finding the “truth” of her character in the final moments of May December.