May December’s Title Meaning & Romance Explained By Director

May December director Todd Haynes explains what the film’s title means and how it relates to the romance captured within it. The drama follows Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton), a couple who share an unconventional and controversial relationship. Although the pair are married with children, the problems in their relationship start to show when actor Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) starts researching their lives as she prepares to play Gracie in an upcoming film. Like many of Haynes’ films, a lot of May December is left to interpretation, but the title is more straightforward.

In an interview with Letterboxd, Haynes explained the meaning of May December‘s title. The phrase merely describes a relationship with an age gap that is as noticeable as the gap between the months of December and May. There’s a bit more to it too. Check out Haynes’ statement below:

It’s interesting when something is known in the American vernacular and not in the British. It’s definitely a term that doesn’t translate out of the English language well. I’ve just always thought of it as a slightly old-fashioned, demure way of describing a relationship between an elder and a younger person with a big age gap. May is spring, December is winter—that range. But the film’s title plays into the month of May, too, and May is the bracketed month of an inevitability around the summer. It begins with a Memorial Day celebration and ends with graduation. So all this anxiety and nerves are circulating through that month and it plays into the title as well.

How May December’s Title Relates To Its Premise

Haynes’ explanation of May December‘s title confirms that it’s not ambiguous. It merely points to the main subject. As mentioned above, the story explores the relationship between Gracie and Joe. Their relationship is unusual because it began when Gracie was 36 and Joe was 13, creating a 23-year age gap between the pair that would definitely meet the definition of a “May December” romance. However, the term almost doesn’t feel appropriate to describe this concerning relationship.

The May December title might also hint lightly at the movie’s themes. One of the major concepts it explores is media sensationalism, especially in the ’90s. May December is loosely based on the true story of Mary Kay Letourneau, whose illegal relationship with her sixth-grade student was sensationalized by tabloids at the time. Sadly, the media and readers often forget the damage of sensationalizing someone’s trauma. For some, Gracie and Joe’s relationship is just a scandalous “May December” romance rather than a tragic incident of manipulation and abuse.

Haynes also touched on how the title relates to the importance of the month of May in the movie. It holds Memorial Day, as well as graduation for Joe’s youngest children. It is an important time because there’s this inevitability of change and remembrance. Joe is the “May” in his relationship, and it also happens to be the month that forces him to remember his past and his lost childhood. May December‘s title has a straightforward definition but provides room for further interpretation into the numerous layers of the romance at the film’s center.