Nominated for Best Original Screenplay 
Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) is eager to meet Gracie Atherton (Julianne Moore), whom she will be playing in a movie. Twenty years ago, Gracie made the front cover of the tabloids when she was caught having a sexual relationship with the thirteen-year-old stockboy of the pet shop she managed. She and Joe (Charles Melton) weathered the storm of public opinion and jail time to create a happy life for themselves and their children. But Elizabeth's arrival and probing questions muddy the waters once again, stirring darker things to the surface.
Todd Haynes is a very good director and he loves melodramas. This felt like his take on a Lifetime Original Movie. At times, it almost seemed like a parody, especially with the music cues which are super dramatic just on their own. Somebody smarter than me can find out if it actually was a satire or just an homage. It's trashy but like, trash at the Louis Vuitton store, not K-Mart.
Portman is great here as the ambitious, dirt-digging actress and Melton is showing way more depth than he ever did on Riverdale (not a high bar to clear, but even so), but this is Moore's movie. She owns this character and she is riveting. I am frankly stunned she didn't get the nomination over Sandra Hüller.
It's currently streaming on Netflix.
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