Natalie Portman has had a long and eventful career, but only two of her films have had such a dark ending. In May and December, Portman plays the actress Elizabeth, who travels to meet the real woman she plays in the film (Julianne Moore). Elizabeth may seem well-intentioned, but her storyline takes a dark turn that changes how viewers see her and what she's trying to do. The actress has certainly played many dramatic roles, but they have rarely complemented each other, such as Todd Haynes' May December and Portman's biggest horror hit.
May December ends with a fight between Portman and Moore's characters, as Charles Melton's Joe is seen crying backstage. The film doesn't explain what happens to Joe or whether she makes the decision to leave Gracie, but Elizabeth begins production on her film and there's something very strange about seeing her become more and more like Gracie with each passing year. As an actress, Portman herself must embody the roles of her characters, but May-December is more similar to Darren Aronofsky's Black Swan than to any of her previous works.
May - December is the darkest ending for a Natalie Portman character since Black Swan. May - December deals with some pretty dark themes and its ending certainly presents Elizabeth as a manipulative schemer. She's someone who will do anything to get what she wants, and that's exactly what makes the character's May-December ending similar to Portman's character in Black Swan, the 2010 psychological horror film. In Black Swan, Nina's Portman stabs herself. she, after having completely transformed into the swan, plays in the ballet. Likewise, Nina goes to great lengths to deliver a perfect performance, and the "Black Swan" finale is eerily reminiscent of the May-December finale in this regard.
It's not that the films have similar plots, but their respective endings are disturbing and unsettling in their execution. They are different, but they complement each other very well, especially when it comes to Portman's characters, their actions and where they end up because of the paths they took to get there. The end of May and December shows what Elizabeth is willing to do for her role, no matter who she hurts. The film itself is about what someone is willing to do to create art, and the final moments where Elizabeth tries to seduce a 13-year-old girl and the final scene of Black Swan show the darkness taking advantage of Portman's characters to reach there.
Natalie Portman's characters, May, December and Black Swan, have striking similarities.
Both of Natalie Portman's characters have obsessive traits. Nina and Elizabeth are paralyzed by their roles and seek perfection in their profession. This obsession makes them insensitive and distant, so concerned with doing everything for the good that they ignore everything else. Elizabeth's dedication to playing Gracie on screen led her to become a method actress. While she tries to perfect the seduction scene between late May and December, her method acting leads her to attempt sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old boy; This shows how well she wants to play the role of Gracie. She wants it to feel real, even if her actions are disturbing to watch.
Meanwhile, Nina's obsession with perfecting her ballet performance she makes him bleed until she dies. a self-inflicted stab wound. Just like Elizabeth from May to December, Nina did virtually everything she could to perfect her performance, no matter the personal cost. Despite her physical pain and consequences, Nina believed that her actions in Black Swan were crucial to achieving the perfection she sought in the ballet role. In both cases the actress's characters transform into something completely different to arrive at something almost extraterrestrial. They want more, so they work hard to get it, even if it means passing the point of no return.
