Review of Carol (1990) by Dave M — 02 Jan 2016

Indie. Art house film. Limited release. Select cities. Select theaters. (Needle in a haystack). Those first five phrases are associated with movies that many people won't get a chance to see in American movie theaters. That last phrase (in parentheses) is my translation. While movies that hit theaters in ways that can best be described in restrictive terms don't have the mass appeal of films that immediately (or quickly) appear in wide release, there are still plenty of people who are anxious to see those limited releases. For a Movie Fan who doesn't live in or near Los Angeles or New York City, it can be frustrating to wait for (and sometimes never get) an opportunity to see a highly anticipated film on the big screen.

Take "Carol" (R, 1:58) for example. That film opened in limited release on November 20, 2015 - in four theaters - in L.A. and New York. A week later, it expanded to a few other markets, but was still in less than two dozen theaters nationwide. On December 25, "Carol" was showing in the Top 50 U.S. markets (in about 150 theaters) and continued to expand into January, but still topping out at fewer than 1,000 screens across the country. Such is the case with many films which dare to tackle extraordinary topics and use story-telling and cinematic techniques that differ from your average Hollywood blockbuster. Nothing against the average Hollywood blockbuster, but sometimes films that start in limited release are equally eagerly anticipated by certain open-minded Movie Fans and are often equally worth the wait.

After 11 years in development (acutally, nearly two decades, if you count from the first draft of the proposed script), "Carol" finally brings Patricia Highsmith's semi-autobiographical 1952 novel "The Price of Salt" to the big screen. The book, from the author of "The Talented Mr. Ripley", was adapted by Highsmith's friend Phyliss Nagy. In spite of the long wait that many Highsmith fans have endured (and the fact that this film was only released a year after its completion in order for it to debut on the festival circuit), its timing is impeccable. At the end of a year in which the U.S. Supreme Court made marriage equality the law of the land and which saw the release of such timely films as "Freeheld", "Do I Sound Gay?", "The D Train", "Grandma", "Stonewall" and "The Danish Girl", "Carol" represents a wonderful and creative final act to a big year for the LGBT community and those who care about equal rights for all.

"Carol" is a love story set in the early 1950s. Oscar winner Cate Blanchett stars as the title character, a wealthy woman living outside New York with her husband, Harge (Kyle Chandler), and their young daughter, Rindy (twins KK and Sadie Heim). When she is in the city to buy a Christmas gift for Rindy, Carol meets Therese (Rooney Mara), a young woman working the counter for the holidays (even though what she really wants to do is become a photographer). Therese has a boyfriend named Richard (Jake Lacy) who loves and wants to marry her, but Therese is hesitating. When Therese finds a pair of gloves that Carol left behind at the store, Therese gets Carol's address off of the sales receipt and mails them to her. (No, this wasn't Radio Shack. It's the 50s, when many stores recorded their customers' addresses.).

Carol calls the store and offers to thank Therese for her kindness by taking her to dinner. Although there is a significant age difference between the women (not to mention a big difference in social standing), there is an undeniable attraction between them. They are both very slow to act on their feelings for each other, preferring instead to simply spend time together, first at Carol's house for the holidays, then at Therese's apartment looking at her photography, and later, on a spontaneous cross-country road trip.

But nothing will come easily for Carol and Therese. Carol's marriage has been poisoned by her secret attraction to other women, which included a youthful tryst with Carol's childhood friend, Abby (Sarah Paulson), with whom Carol remains friends. Those old wounds are reopened for Harge when Therese shows up in his home. Carol and Harge were already in the process of divorcing, but Therese's presence in Carol's life greatly complicates that situation. Their love is developing at a time and place when same-sex romantic relationships were widely considered immoral - including within the nation's court system.

"Carol" is a beautiful motion picture in every sense of the word. For Movie Fans ready to accept it, the love story between the two main characters is tender and heartfelt. Although the film clearly shows the difficulties inherent in a lesbian love affair in the early 50s, the social and legal ramifications never take over the story, which remains focused on the relationship between these two women. Their romance plays out as influenced more by who they are as people and what is happening in their lives than by external factors. It makes for a very effective film.

Enhancing the sense of time and place, previous Oscar nominee, director Todd Haynes, ensures impeccable set design and costume work, then has his cinematographer use a technique which makes the film appear somewhat grainy, giving it a definite 1950s' feel. (Some may find this off-putting, but you get used to it and it really adds to the film's effectiveness.) Last but certainly not least, Blanchett and Mara each do some of the best work of their careers. "Carol" started out as a "limited release" and can be called an "art house film", but I just call it great storytelling, and definitely worth waiting for. "A-".