Write On: 'May December' Writer Samy Burch
November 29, 2023
“A lot of the scenes are [shot in] one take. The space that they hold, the amount of air that they let sit there before saying their next line. I mean it’s an incredible amount of tension and intimacy,” says screenwriter Samy Burch about her new film May December, which streams on Netflix December 1st.
It sounds so simple and commonplace, but it's a lesson in not only great acting but also writing great subtext. Directed by Todd Haynes and starring Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, May December is about Gracie (Moore), a middle-aged woman who seduced and later married a 13-year-old boy. Natalie Portman plays Elizabeth, an actress who gets to know Gracie so she can play her in an upcoming film.
In my interview, Burch talks about taking inspiration from the real-life story, handling delicate material and finding the dark humor in this strange story of human folly. Samy also breaks down Elizabeth’s powerful monologue at the end of the film which is both hilarious and heartbreaking.
“I think it's an intersection of a lot of things. I think it's the climax of Elizabeth's performance. I think we get the sense that it's she's never going to do better than this, she's never going to feel as confident.”
To go deeper into the script, take a listen to the podcast.
Written by: Shanee Edwards
Shanee Edwards is an L.A.-based screenwriter, journalist and novelist who recently won The Next MacGyver television writing competition to create a TV show about a female engineer and was honored to be mentored by actress/producers America Ferrera. Shanee's first novel, Ada Lovelace: The Countess Who Dreamed in Numbers was published by Conrad Press in 2019. Currently, she is working on a biopic of controversial nurse Florence Nightingale. Shanee’s ultimate goal is to tell stories about strong, spirited women whose passion, humor and courage inspire us all.- Topics:
- Screenwriting
- Podcast
- Interviews