Carol
Director: Todd Haynes
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson
Duration: 118 mins
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

Carol simply oozes class – the look, the narrative, the direction and its performances. And that class is heightened by the subtle, yet powerful, emotions that permeate throughout, making it a most beautiful film not just to behold, but to experience emotionally.

Therese Belivent (Rooney Mara), is a clerk in the toy department of a bustling Manhattan store. Like many women her age, she dreams of better things, especially of taking her hobby in photography to a professional level. However, nothing prepares Therese for the impact that Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett), a woman shopping for a Christmas present for her young daughter, has on her.

It would appear the two have little in common – Therese a middle-class, unworldly 20-something; Carol an older, sophisticated, suburban socialite. Yet, one glance across the crowded shop floor and there is instant connection. Therese helps Carol with her purchase, Carol accidentally-on-purpose leaves her gloves behind, Therese makes sure they are returned, the two meet up again, and a tentative love affair is born.

The climate does not allow the couple to enjoy their romance, however. For this is New York in the early 1950s, the post-war optimism of the era still unforgiving of homosexual relationships. That Carol is trapped in an unhappy marriage to Harge (Kyle Chandler), and has a daughter to think of, complicates things; as does Therese’s lack of experience and insecurity in the face of this sudden, passionate relationship.

The film is based on the novel published by acclaimed novelist Patricia Highsmith in 1952 as The Price of Salt. Given its, at the time, controversial subject matter, Highsmith published the novel under a pseudonym and the book was republished as Carol under her own name in 1990. And, after many years in development, screenwriter Phyllis Nagy’s adaptation has finally come to fruition. Her superb script proffers a mature, believable and poignant exploration of the forbidden romance.

Subtle, yet powerful, emotions permeate throughout

Carol’s tone suggests director Todd Haynes was inspired by 1945 seminal romance Brief Encounter, which similarly explored a forbidden relationship: that between a man and a woman, both married to other people. The film struck a chord with its restrained depiction of the unadulterated passion between the couple and, in Carol, Haynes conjures that passion that simmers beneath the surface, eschewing dramatic scenes of ardour for soupçons of highly-charged moments, the body language as powerful as the dialogue.

When Carol places her hand gently on Therese’s shoulder it is electric, while an exchanged glance reveals many hidden depths. “I’m starved,” Carol tells Therese casually as they sit down for their first lunch together – two ordinary words that speak volumes about what she truly hungers for. There is a natural, and unforced, frisson between Blanchett and Mara. They play the relationship in an understated sensual, sensitive and stimulat-ing way, heightened by Carter Burwell’s haunting score.

Blanchett lays a stake for a third acting Oscar in her portrayal of the titular protagonist. She effortlessly captures the essence of the character’s inner sadness, emotional need and anger – for when she is pushed, she can be formidably angry – and her outer style, sophistication and poise.

She wears her fur coat like a second skin, almost to hide the fact that she is crumbling inside. And, from the moment she lays eyes on Therese, she sees in her a kindred spirit, a means to the end of her miserable life. She latches on to Therese immediately, with whispered compliments and palpable desire, her flirtations often coquettish, sometimes predatory.

Yet, Therese is willing prey. Initially suggestive of a deer caught in headlights, in Carol she sees her way to the better life she dreams of, discovering in the older woman the muse that unlocks her creativity. Therese is at a crossroads in life, unsure of her career and the dull relationship with eager boyfriend Richard (Jake Lacy). She is an innocent, completely unprepared for the hardship and heartbreak the affair brings.

And, in what proves to be her best role yet, Mara is a revelation, portraying the character’s journey from naïf to mature, independent adult with depth and nuance.

Though Carol and Therese occupy most of the film’s running time, the supporting characters are equally effective. Kyle Chandler never portrays Harge as a one-dimensional, vindictive man, but as a genuinely besotted and betrayed husband. Sarah Paulson’s Abby is often the voice of reason and calm for the troubled lovers.

Like Far from Heaven before it, the story plays out against a backdrop of exquisite beauty fashioned by Haynes’ superb team – Sandy Powell’s stylish and true-to-the-era costumes, production designer Judy Becker and set director Heather Loeffler’s impeccably detailed interiors and Ed Lachman’s dreamlike cinematography, as integral to the film as its moving performances and flawless direction.

Ed Oxenbould in Paper Planes.

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