“May December,” the Latest Film From Todd Haynes, Is Headed for Cannes

May December, the latest film from iconic Portland filmmaker Todd Haynes (I’m Not There, Carol), is headed for this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it will screen alongside new works by Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Jonathan Glazer and other acclaimed filmmakers.

The film, which stars Julianne Moore (a veteran of Haynes’ Safe and Far From Heaven) and Natalie Portman, will play in competition. That means it will vie for the festival’s coveted Palme d’Or award, as will Anderson’s Asteroid City. (Meanwhile, Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio and chronicles the infamous 1920′s Osage Nation murders, will play out of competition.)

Haynes’ 10th feature, May December is about a famous couple who face difficulties when an actress conducts research for a movie about their past. It looks to return Haynes to familiar territory (relationship-focused dramas) after a string of adventurous films that were mostly overlooked, including the graphic novel adaptation Wonderstruck and the legal drama Dark Waters (though his recent documentary The Velvet Underground was considered a success).

Interestingly, May December is the rare Haynes film that won’t feature the work of his usual cinematographer, Ed Lachman (whose films include Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides and David Byrne’s True Stories).

When Lachman left May December after breaking his hip, he was replaced by Christopher Blauvelt, who has frequently collaborated with Haynes’ fellow Portland auteur Kelly Reichardt (he shot her newest film, Showing Up).