"Carol" Review

Carol is a romantic drama film directed by Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven), written by Phyllis Nagy from the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt, and starring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, and Sarah Paulson. It tells the story of young, directionless Terese (Rooney Mara), who works at a New York City department store in the 1950s, and finds some excitement, and later passion, in her new-found relationship with a wealthy older woman named Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett), who is currently in the process of divorcing her husband (Kyle Chandler). They go on an impromptu road trip together, as they develop a romantic relationship that they struggle to keep under wraps. The film has rightfully garnered quite a bit of Oscar attention after an impressive run on the festival circuit, with Blanchett and Mara being the most common recipients of praise (the latter being inexplicably considered "supporting" by a ton of guilds and organizations even though it's not even debatable that it's Terese's story).


This is one of those weird movies where I loved basically everything about it and it was a pretty inarguably well-made film in every respect, but it left me with no lingering emotions or real desire to see it again or tell it on the mountains that it's a masterpiece. Perhaps this just isn't my kind of story to connect with personally, and don't misconstrue this as me saying that it's not entertaining, well-crafted, or intelligent, because it is all three of those things in great measure, but I guess just not wrapped in a package I personally got much out of. As a whole, I appreciate the film more than I'd say I loved it. I usually save my cons for last in these reviews, but this one is so personal and singular to me that I wanted to get it out of the way before praising it. Trust me, if you were already excited to see this movie, it will satisfy you.

With that out of the way, the reason to see this movie any number of times surely is to see the magnificent performances by Blanchett and Mara, the latter in particular, in my opinion. Blanchett has always had a particular sleight of hand for being a captivating screen presence, but the relatively still-budding Rooney Mara gives what may be her best so far in Carol. She's in almost every scene and plays her character impeccably well - and it's a character type that's very specific, not too common in dramas, and very satisfying to watch. She's young, inexperienced, and even says herself that she spends most of her time "saying yes to everything" despite her ambitions, but she doesn't seem naive or immature. She exhibits drive and determination, as well as the frustration and confusion with life that comes with being young as you begin to experience bigger things. It's a very odd character tightrope to walk, and Mara's acting chops and Todd Haynes's deft direction are to thank for its precise presentation.

Again, Blanchett is luminous in her usually subdued, old-Hollywood, charming way. The character of Carol is markedly more difficult to figure out than Terese, as I don't even remember a piece of dialogue explaining what she does for a living or at least how she got so wealthy (her house is almost palace-like; perhaps she inherited it?), or maybe I'm just not perceptive. I think that's a little bit of the point, though, in it being Terese's story primarily - there's mystery to Carol, which is why we're drawn to her. She's also smart and seems to know what she's doing, though as time goes on we learn that she possesses a similar frustration and confusion with the unfair conventions and circumstances of life, but it's a frustration and confusion that comes from a more aged, educated world view. A scene toward the end in a courtroom is definitely the Blanchett scene to write home about, though, and I'd be surprised if it wasn't her Oscar clip. The supporting characters serve their purposes well and are well-performed, but I never found any of them particularly compelling as people. Again, it may be my own lack of perception, but Kyle Chandler's character rarely ventured outside of Angry 1950s Husband™ and Mara's former male lover moreso. Not that this is a problem; they work in the story and still feel like people.

Phyllis Nagy's script's strength mostly lays within its subtlety. There's a lot of emotion and character development that we get outside of dialogue - body language, facial expressions, little sighs or smiles, again all part of great direction of a great cast. My only gripe is that the film is a bit slow to start. It really isn't until Carol and Terese begin their trip that we really see their relationship develop, which was the part of the story I was most interested in. It wasn't perhaps as charming as the romance in Brooklyn (this is more of a "tragic romance" anyway), but it was involving, and felt real.

As for the little pleasures - Carter Burwell (famous for scoring many Coen brothers films) has composed a very pretty score for the movie, and Edward Lachmann's camerawork is wonderful. His use of blurs, transparent surfaces, and general construction of the frame are evocative in ways very specific to the purpose of each individual scene. Also, this is a period piece, so you get some great, lavish sets and costumes. Something about 1950s Christmas is so quaint.

Overall, I'm not racing back to the theater to see Carol a second time, as only scenes here and there really resonated with me, but it may very well not be my kind of movie. Regardless, it's supremely well acted, emotionally engaging, and provokes thought even as it pulls the heartstrings. It also has a pro-LGBT, pro-women message that's refreshingly subtle and appropriate. It's an incredibly solid and well crafted romantic drama that at the very least has two powerhouse performances to offer.

Grade: A-