Review of Carol (2015) by Everett — 08 Jan 2016

Gorgeous production values but not much depth, other than in depicting the potentially devastating homophobia of the times - which of course is no small thing. But I kept wishing for the two leads to have a real conversation, especially on a road trip; the long silences made this relationship seem boring. Sexual atttraction, yes, we get it - over & over & over. (I felt the pace in general was too slow).

But mostly, I just wanted to know these characters better, especially Therese. Who was she, as a young woman, beyond her sexual preference? There's no dialogue that fills us in. Being "flung from space" might've been good enough for Carol but it wasn't for me. Despite the movie's critical acclaim for its authentic depiction of the damage done by homophobia, I have to say that it sells Therese short by having her lesbianism standing in for everything she was. It pretty much summed her up, and what kind of "message" is that? (I thought Mara's acting was stilted, but it may have had more to do with her role being so underwritten.).

There's also the absence of any consideration of class; how did Carol's wealth play into the attraction? That mink! That palatial home! This was a way into the character that was never developed. Also, the issue of Carol being threatened with losing custody of her daughter is there, and I doubt Highsmith felt very connected to it emotionally, so it wasn't necessary to do more with it, in an adaptation; but if something were to be "run with," I would've liked more about it than what's there in this film. A beat near the end, maybe, to remind us of it?

I read the book it was based on, and have to say, I liked it better, because it wasn't trying to be gorgeous. It felt more real. This movie certainly was gorgeous, and Cate Blanchett was perfect - stunning at times, especially that last shot of her. But, overall, I came away wishing there had been more substance, and that's not what I'd wanted to feel.