Review of Carol (2015) by Jeffrey N — 28 Feb 2016

I was intrigued, even though "Carol" was not nominated for Best Picture, why both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara both received Best Actress nominations during the Golden Globes, but only Cate receiving the Best Actress nomination for the Oscar, relegating Rooney to the "Best Supporting Actress" pile.

Early in the process, I was actually under the impression that this was the movie to beat this Oscar season, which is why the lack of Best Pic nom really surprised me. Having finally watched it, I'm even more confused.

"Carol" is nearly as strong a love story as "Brokeback Mountain." I don't mean to compare the two as they include the forbidden love of two gay characters in a time when there was practically zero acceptance.

To me, those are coincidental elements. I felt the love between these two characters very deeply, like I did in "Brokeback." Being gay had nothing to do with it. Maybe the societal taboo of it all made the sadness of their inability to love like they want seem that much stronger, and thus portray a stronger love story overall, but being gay never entered my psyche about it.

These two tremendously strong actresses wandering through a slow, sensual build-up of falling in love, culminating in that eventual, passionate expression of love, was masterfully done. What made "Brokeback" better, I believe, is that the forbidden nature of it eventually resulted in a powerfully sad ending, while "Carol" received more of a Hollywood ending.

Given that both were based on novels, though, the stories were already written. While I walked away from "Brokeback" with a heart as crushed as Heath Ledger's, I walked away from "Carol" with optimism and excitement for a love that looked as though it would make it.

Cate Blanchett powerfully delivers the key, unapologetic acceptance of who she is in a deposition with her estranged husband that wasn't overdramatic for a minute, but couldn't have been a stronger statement.

Then Rooney, for all her young confusion and mending, jilted heart, embraced whom she was and, in the end, sought out her love for what no doubt was a happy ending. I loved the pacing of the film and how it had just as much to do with the build-up of their love as the actual story, even when it seemed slow.

Nothing was unnaturally rushed. While I don't believe either should beat out Brie Larson for Best Actress, I don't know how the Academy believed Cate was anymore of a lead than Rooney. The Golden Globes got it right.

As a result, I believe Rooney will take the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and that may have been the reasoning all along.