The loves of Haynes' films are always scabrous and opposed like those of the beautiful Far From Paradise and Carol. The one in May December between a 36-year-old woman and a 13-year-old boy is no exception, yet this unacceptable relationship leads to children and a marriage.

Haynes, as in Far From Paradise, reproduces the images and footage from the historical period in which the events take place. May December projects the graininess of films from the end of the millennium onto the screens and cloaks them in warm, engaging photography.

The film's ace in the hole, however, is the continuous balance it manages to maintain between melody and thriller. The frame of the plot represented by the actress who brings the young protagonist back to life allows us to create a game of references, of mirrors, even real ones, and of redundancies that suffocate the male co-protagonist, in search of his personal growth, still enclosed in a cocoon.

The cast is excellent, led by Natalie Portman who disappears scene after scene, disappearing into Julianne Moore who is left with the key scenes. The real surprise, however, comes from Charles Melton who, with just his looks, manages to describe the suffocated inner world of a man.

Passed at Cannes without too much fanfare, it arrives on our screens and amazes from the first scenes. With winks at De Palma and a game of redundancies made explicit in the final scene Haynes actually gives us a hypnotic film to enjoy until the last scene.