Captivated by the trailer alone? We don’t blame you: there’s a reason this one became the darling of the Cannes Film Festival this year.

Still, if you’d like a few more details, we’re more than happy to oblige. Here’s what you need to know, then, about May December:

What is May December about?

Loosely based on the true story of Mary Kay Letourneau, May December follows married couple Gracie and Joe Atherton-Yoo, whose notorious tabloid romance – and 23-year age gap – gripped the nation when it made headlines some two decades ago.

Nowadays, their marriage is… well, it’s ticking along, we suppose. However, things become intensely strained, and impossibly uncomfortable, when Hollywood star Elizabeth Berry arrives at their home.

Why? Because she’s set to play Gracie in a film about the scandal, and she really wants to get to grips with her subject matter. Get ready, then, for a closer look at the parasitic process employed by an actor creating a character – and the myriad ways the media can warp women’s perceptions of themselves.

Who stars in May December?

Julianne Moore and Riverdale’s Charles Melton step into the shoes of Gracie and Joe Atherton-Yoo, while Cory Michael Smith stars as the couple’s eldest son.

Natalie Portman, meanwhile, plays the ever-unsettling Elizabeth. Which means we have not one but two best actress Oscar winners in the mix.

What are people saying about May December?

Dubbing Samy Burch’s screenplay as “pretty special”, Haynes tells The Hollywood Reporter: “It was just written with such a gripping restraint and intelligence and perceptiveness about the place and people. It kept you in a state of constant anticipation and moral uncertainty in ways that I just found to be so exciting. This story is about two women, and the second character was just an unbelievably complex, juicy and ambiguous character who was scripted as someone who was about 60 years old. I immediately had an idea about who that might be…”

Portman, who brought Burch’s script to Haynes in the first place, adds to Vanity Fair: “I read it and was like, I’d love to do this, but only if it were Todd making it, because this needs a vision to match the subtlety and nuance of the script.”

When and where can we watch May December?

May December is in UK cinemas on 17 November and on Sky Cinema on 1 December.

May December: Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman’s new film is deliciously scandalous