Carol - directed by Todd Haynes
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, John Magaro, Cory Michael Smith, Carrie Brownstein
Screenplay: Phyllis Nagy
Music Score by: Carter Burwell
Cinematography: Edward Lachman
Edited by: Affonso Goncalves
Running Time: 118 minutes
Rated: M - Sex Scenes, Nudity, Language
Oscar Nominations: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Supporting Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Cinematography, Original Score
Carol is an unusual movie.
It's success rests almost entirely on the charisma and talent of its two leads.
Telling the autobiographical real story of author Patricia Highsmith it sees Rooney Mara's Therese falling in love with a socialite customer who she serves at the department store she works at.
Therese fills in for Highsmith who really did have a relationship with a blonde woman she met in Bloomingdales.
This being the early fifties a married mother having a sexual relationship with another woman was hardly something that either party would be too keen on broadcasting.
Toss in a spurned husband, a looming divorce and subsequent custody battle and the pieces are on the board.
"Carol" has been nominated for six Oscars this year and two of them highlight the disturbing trend in shuffling categories around to accommodate nominees.
Rooney Mara is the clear lead in this film but it is Blanchett who has the Best Actress in a Leading Role nomination with Mara shunted over to the Best Supporting category.
It is absurd and frankly should not be allowed.
For Mara it probably means an increased chance of winning and she is certainly worthy.
Her performance is very strong indeed.
Blanchett is no slouch of course but she is saddled with a character who may afford her the chance to play plenty of emotional range but fails to generate any sympathy - often at vital moments.
There is one scene in which she discovers that someone has done something unethical and invasive but in confronting the person comes off as unbalanced and capable of extreme violence.
I was often unsure exactly how I was supposed to feel about Carol and the uncertainty finally bled into the character of Therese also.
The plot is deliberately paced and it is quite far into the two hour running time before the attraction between the pair is acted upon.
The sex scene is far better than it could have been and director Haynes wisely keeps it classy, playing up the innocence and discovery more than the sexual tension.
From here, with the tension released, the plot seems confused as to where it is headed and it dragged for me.
Blanchett and Mara's performances are deserving of a stronger story.
There is good support for them in the forms of Kyle Chandler as Carol's soon to be ex-husband, the great Sarah Paulson as a former lover and Cory Michael Smith from tv's "Gotham".
Paulson has more to do than Chandler who is a tad underused sadly.
As good as the acting is the very noticeable aspect is the costume design.
There are multiple changes with frequent use of colour to highlight Carol's state of mind.
She is always clad in very conservative, very fashionable for the era clothing that keeps her well covered.
Therese has a more adventurous, less refined look with hats featuring prominently.
Costume designer Sandy Powell already has three Oscars - one for the Blanchett starring "The Aviator" and she stands to gain another this year.
Cinematography is also very good and the unusual choice to shoot on Super 16 gives the film a grainy, period look.
I was often reminded of "Brief Encounter" - particularly in the opening shots in the cold, mist of the New York streets.
DP Edward Lachman makes great use of depth of focus and close ups to heighten the intimacy during early scenes with Mara and Blanchett as the attraction grows.
Quality of production aside my ultimate response to "Carol" as it finished was shrugging indifference.
It isn't a new story at this stage - we have had many instances of similar ground.
The love story at the centre never fired for me and as good as the film is at presenting the forbidden love, sexual tension side it is lost once this is exhausted.
I grew restless and found myself second guessing the plot.
Everything that I came up with was more exciting than what eventuated.
I wasn't imagining violence or tragedy - nothing too extreme - but the drama that I had assumed was on the way didn't arrive.
Carol's mental instability is mentioned often and she does undergo some treatment but the matter isn't really thrust front as centre as a major part of the film.
It definitely defines the titular character to one degree or another but for me all that it achieved was further mystifying me as to what on earth a talented, beautiful young woman like Therese would see in an unbalanced older woman with such major baggage.
Maybe that was the point..... I don't know.
RATING: 68/ 100
CONCLUSION: Slick production with great cinematography and costume design but this is only really of note for the excellent performance of the ethereally lovely Rooney Mara
Screenplay: Phyllis Nagy
Music Score by: Carter Burwell
Cinematography: Edward Lachman
Edited by: Affonso Goncalves
Running Time: 118 minutes
Rated: M - Sex Scenes, Nudity, Language
Oscar Nominations: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Supporting Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Costume Design, Cinematography, Original Score
Carol is an unusual movie.
It's success rests almost entirely on the charisma and talent of its two leads.
Telling the autobiographical real story of author Patricia Highsmith it sees Rooney Mara's Therese falling in love with a socialite customer who she serves at the department store she works at.
Therese fills in for Highsmith who really did have a relationship with a blonde woman she met in Bloomingdales.
This being the early fifties a married mother having a sexual relationship with another woman was hardly something that either party would be too keen on broadcasting.
Toss in a spurned husband, a looming divorce and subsequent custody battle and the pieces are on the board.
 |
| Despite what the Academy would have you believe Rooney Mara is the lead in "Carol" |
Rooney Mara is the clear lead in this film but it is Blanchett who has the Best Actress in a Leading Role nomination with Mara shunted over to the Best Supporting category.
It is absurd and frankly should not be allowed.
For Mara it probably means an increased chance of winning and she is certainly worthy.
Her performance is very strong indeed.
Blanchett is no slouch of course but she is saddled with a character who may afford her the chance to play plenty of emotional range but fails to generate any sympathy - often at vital moments.
There is one scene in which she discovers that someone has done something unethical and invasive but in confronting the person comes off as unbalanced and capable of extreme violence.
I was often unsure exactly how I was supposed to feel about Carol and the uncertainty finally bled into the character of Therese also.
The plot is deliberately paced and it is quite far into the two hour running time before the attraction between the pair is acted upon.
The sex scene is far better than it could have been and director Haynes wisely keeps it classy, playing up the innocence and discovery more than the sexual tension.
From here, with the tension released, the plot seems confused as to where it is headed and it dragged for me.
Blanchett and Mara's performances are deserving of a stronger story.
There is good support for them in the forms of Kyle Chandler as Carol's soon to be ex-husband, the great Sarah Paulson as a former lover and Cory Michael Smith from tv's "Gotham".
Paulson has more to do than Chandler who is a tad underused sadly.
 |
| Cate Blanchett as Carol |
There are multiple changes with frequent use of colour to highlight Carol's state of mind.
She is always clad in very conservative, very fashionable for the era clothing that keeps her well covered.
Therese has a more adventurous, less refined look with hats featuring prominently.
Costume designer Sandy Powell already has three Oscars - one for the Blanchett starring "The Aviator" and she stands to gain another this year.
Cinematography is also very good and the unusual choice to shoot on Super 16 gives the film a grainy, period look.
I was often reminded of "Brief Encounter" - particularly in the opening shots in the cold, mist of the New York streets.
DP Edward Lachman makes great use of depth of focus and close ups to heighten the intimacy during early scenes with Mara and Blanchett as the attraction grows.
 |
| Costume Design and Cinematography is very strong |
It isn't a new story at this stage - we have had many instances of similar ground.
The love story at the centre never fired for me and as good as the film is at presenting the forbidden love, sexual tension side it is lost once this is exhausted.
I grew restless and found myself second guessing the plot.
Everything that I came up with was more exciting than what eventuated.
I wasn't imagining violence or tragedy - nothing too extreme - but the drama that I had assumed was on the way didn't arrive.
Carol's mental instability is mentioned often and she does undergo some treatment but the matter isn't really thrust front as centre as a major part of the film.
It definitely defines the titular character to one degree or another but for me all that it achieved was further mystifying me as to what on earth a talented, beautiful young woman like Therese would see in an unbalanced older woman with such major baggage.
Maybe that was the point..... I don't know.
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