Céline Roustan
Genevieve, a French college professor, goes to the park to score some weed. Her usual guy is away, but he recommends another dealer, nineteen year old Randolph. While at first sight the pair should not have much in common, they build an unlikely bond and discover that they are both more than what meets the eye. With a very simple concept, writer/director Julian Turner crafts a genuine and small scale story, where two complex and richly developed characters share a fleeting moment of connection.
May proves that simplicity can go a long way. Everything in this film is “normal”—nothing tragic, extremely awkward, or terribly peculiar happens, and that’s exactly how Turner intended it to be. He wished to develop a story where the main focus would be the tension between two characters, whom initially seem out of place together, simply interacting as they find common territory amidst their race and generational divides. This “odd couple” storyline has been done many times, but Turner has a fresh, nuanced, and layered approach to the idea where he plays with the general awkwardness of the situation to show his characters’ assumptions and vulnerabilities. In some ways the film is an anti-romantic film—not in that it is cynical about human interactions, but in the way that it eschews the grand dramas of the genre in favor of a sweet earnestness and authenticity about how people can connect.
The intimate feel of the film draws the audience in. Very quickly, the screenplay exposes the characters personal lives to the audience, with the dialogue written in an extremely compelling way so that the conversations evolve at a realistic and seamless pace. The characters reveal themselves organically as they talk, peeling back layer after layer. To bring this intimacy to the screen and engage the audience on a deeper level, Turner and his DP Kyungchan Min chose the 4:3 aspect ratio, which is effective in bringing us even closer to the encounter.
For such a stripped down film to work, the film needs to rely heavily on its performances, and Maria Dizzia (Orange Is the New Black) and Azikiwea Green really bring it home. Their performances feel so natural as their characters navigate the interaction, that nothing ever feels forced. They nail the awkwardness of the meet up without overdoing it—both Genevieve and Randolph know what they are here for. The chemistry between them slowly changes and both react to what the other says in a charmingly authentic way, step after step, leading up to the last scene.
May had its world premiere earlier this year at SXSW. Fresh off its screening at the Mill Valley Film Festival, it is premiering online. Julian Turner already has a new short film that he is hoping to premiere early next year.