What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedMay December
Todd Haynes · Film · 2023
If you loved May December, start with Love & Death (David E. Kelley, 2023) — a series on the same thread. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to May December across media.
What hooked you in May December was the way the public performance of identity masks deeply uncomfortable, buried private truths.
Books on the same thread
Half His Age
Jennette McCurdy · Book
Explores: forbidden attraction, mentor-student dynamics, adolescent longing.
If the transgressive age gap in May December fascinated you, this book explores similar themes of forbidden attraction and the complex power dynamics between a younger student and mentor.
Dylan Goes Electric!
Elijah Wald · Book
Explores: Artistic Evolution, Counterculture, Legacy.
If May December hit, Dylan Goes Electric! shares the thread.
The Academy
Elin Hilderbrand and Shelby Cunningham · Book
Explores: social hierarchy, reputation management, academic pressure.
Like the suffocating scrutiny surrounding the couple in May December, this story captures how reputation management and toxic rumors can dismantle a fragile social existence from the inside out.
The Secret History
Donna Tartt · Book · 1993
Explores: Secrets, Guilt, Moral Ambiguity.
The moral ambiguity and psychological obsession found in May December resonate deeply here, as this novel dissects how secrets and elite social dynamics lead to a devastating, inevitable collapse.
Series on the same thread
Fellow Travelers
Ron Nyswaner · Series · 2023
Shares a thread with May December: Coming of Age.
This series mirrors the volatile, long-term romantic tension in May December, focusing on the heavy emotional toll of maintaining a relationship that exists entirely outside of societal norms.
High Potential
Drew Goddard · Series · 2024
Explores: Unlikely Partnerships, Brilliant Outsider, Single Parent.
If May December hit, High Potential shares the thread.
Mildred Pierce
Series · 2011
Shares a thread with May December: Melodrama.
Fans of the domestic melodrama in May December will recognize the same intense, fraught mother-daughter friction and the desperate struggle to maintain a polished facade amidst personal ruin.
Love & Death
David E. Kelley · Series · 2023
Explores: Infidelity, Suburban Secrets, Extramarital Affairs.
Just as May December examines the violent collision of private scandals and public perception, this show portrays how suburban secrets and infidelity can erupt into shocking, life-altering acts of violence.
Podcasts on the same thread
Infamous
Podcast
Shares a thread with May December: power dynamics.
If the tabloid obsession in May December kept you captivated, this podcast provides the same analytical gaze into the power dynamics and media scrutiny surrounding the century's biggest scandals.
The Trial of Diddy
Podcast
Explores: Sex Trafficking Allegations, Criminal Enterprise, Hip Hop Industry.
This podcast echoes the dark celebrity fixation seen in May December, stripping away the public image of a cultural icon to reveal the complex, disturbing reality of their legacy.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is May December based on a true story?
The film May December follows a couple dealing with the aftermath of a notorious tabloid romance that gripped the nation twenty years prior. While the narrative is inspired by real-life tabloid events, it is a fictionalized story about the pressures of having a film made about one's past.
What is the central conflict in May December?
The central conflict in May December occurs when an actress arrives to conduct research for a film about the couple's past. This external presence causes the couple's marriage to buckle under the pressure of revisiting their notorious history twenty years after their relationship first became a tabloid sensation.
How long after the tabloid scandal does May December take place?
May December takes place twenty years after the couple's notorious tabloid romance originally gripped the nation. The story focuses on the tension that arises when an actress begins researching their past, forcing the couple to confront the long-term consequences of the events that occurred two decades earlier.
Why does an actress visit the couple in May December?
In May December, an actress arrives to perform research for a film being produced about the couple's past. Her arrival serves as the catalyst for the narrative, as it forces the married couple to deal with the pressure of their notorious history being revisited for the public.