What’s it rated? R
When? 2023
Where’s it showing? Netflix
This is showing up on many critics’ best picture list, and for good reason: The performances are absolutely mesmerizing. The story focuses on a couple—Gracie Atherton (Julianne Moore) and Joe Yoo (Charles Melton)—whose notorious romance was tabloid fodder in 1992 when Gracie was 36 and she was caught having sex with 13-year-old Joe in the back room of a pet store where they both worked.
Gracie birthed Joe’s child in prison, and after she was released, they married and had two more children. Now, 23 years later, actress Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) has arrived at their Georgia home to research her role as Gracie in an upcoming film. Naturally, Gracie and her family are concerned about how she’ll be portrayed, and the deeply uncomfortable fun is watching the delicate dance the two women do around one another.
Like Portman’s turn in Black Swan (2010) as a ballerina, this is another story of an obsessive artist willing to trample anyone getting between her and her art. Slowly, Elizabeth becomes Gracie, adopting her look, mannerisms, and behavior. Though Gracie believes she’s the victim of her story, the true victim remains Joe, and as Elizabeth’s transformation becomes complete, neither Joe nor Gracie is spared. (117 min.) Δ
This article appears in Last-Minute Gift Guide 2023.