A Key Player In May December Suffered An Accident That Forced Last Minute Changes

It’s difficult to imagine what “May December” would have looked like with Edward Lachman’s signature touch. Still, Christopher Blauvelt more than understood the assignment, and the visual language of the film is pitch-perfect. But Blauvelt wasn’t the only new addition to Haynes’ roster of usual suspects. Production designer Sam Lisenco is someone he had been planning on working with on a different project that sadly didn’t happen, but fortunately, “May December” was the perfect fit. “It was a lot of new relationships and somehow that contributed to this fresh energy,” Haynes said. “We shot it in 23 days. I mean, the thing was just nuts.” Given the heaviness of the subject matter, 23 days is remarkably impressive. But Haynes said that he and his crew developed a plan to work “aesthetically and conceptually with the script,” and it was smooth sailing from there. “I wasn’t pulling my hair out and freaking out the way everyone does in movies at some point.”

The fruits of their labor are a feast for the eyes, as Lisenco and Blauvelt present a pastel nightmare completely saturated with unease. The effectiveness of the film’s handling of power imbalances in predatory relationships and the way Hollywood exploits the trauma of real people for entertainment fodder is the result of every piece of the puzzle falling perfectly into place. There’s no denying that Lachman would have done a phenomenal job, but Blauvelt’s unplanned inclusion feels like a bit of true movie magic.