Directed by Todd Haynes, and headlined by Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, the psychodrama May December earned a 6-minute standing ovation at the festival's Grand Palais on Saturday, reported Variety. May December stars Portman as Elizabeth, an actor who heads to Savannah to study the lives of Gracie (Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton). Years prior, Gracie and Joe's scandalous cross-generational affair sparked a national controversy due to their age gap and the fact that Gracie was Joe's boss at a local pet store.Cannes 2023: Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones 5 Gets Five-Minute Standing Ovation at the Premiere (Watch Video).

Twenty years later, Elizabeth is playing Gracie in a film version of the scandal, but her arrival puts disruptive pressure on Gracie and Joe's marriage.  In an interview with Variety, the head of Cannes, Melton described May December as a "complex, compounded, voyeuristic experience of the human condition." "We really get a lens into our characters Joe and Gracie," he added. Cannes 2023: Japanese Director Hirokazu Kore-Eda's Film Monster Gets a Six-Minute Standing Ovation (Watch Video).

"They've been in an unconventional relationship for a very long time, and the arrival of Natalie's character serves as a catalyst for certain awakenings." Haynes has a long history with the Cannes Film Festival. He debuted at the festival in 1998 with Velvet Goldmine, which won a prize for best artistic contribution, and later returned with Carol (2015) and Wonderstruck (2017).

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Carol was greeted with a 10-minute standing ovation after its Cannes debut, and star Rooney Mara went on to win the best actress prize at the festival."The making of this film was such a joy. We threw thus film together incredibly quickly," said Haynes, following the ovation, adding that they shot for only 23 days in Savannah, Georgia. "It took everybody's creative participation to make it possible," reported Hollywood Reporter.