Carol is directed by Todd Haynes and stars Cate Blanchett as Carol a woman living with an alcoholic husband (Kyle Chandler) who she is getting a divorce from but one day meets Therese (Rooney Mara) who works in a department store, the two become close but their closeness in 1950s America could cost both of them dearly.
Carol is very good, really very good and it's for these reasons:
- The first is the visuals by Ed Lachman (who also was the cinematographer on Desperately Seeking Susan in 1985, Light Sleeper in 1992, 1980's Union City and Haynes's 2002 film Far From Heaven) because this is a gorgeous film to look at with its period setting and pastel colours be they pinks or whites or blues or reds not once did I feel bored looking at this film purely on a visual standpoint and it makes seeing this film in a cinema environment well worth it.
- The second is the music score by Carter Burwell again it is such a pleasure just to listen to this film with its combination of piano score and 50s music songs there were times where I found myself kind of wandering away from the action on screen just to get caught up in what was playing on the soundtrack and this isn't a bad thing not in the slightest.
- And lastly the performances are all superb, Blanchett is just wonderful in this role as not only does she fit the period so well but her outside appearance of being a proper 50s lady very poised very elegant and very much a servant of her husband combined with her inside vulnerability and anger and wanting so much more than ladies of her time were allowed hooks you into her work every time she's on screen.
But she's not alone, Chandler proves once again what an underrated actor he is as Carol's husband and the fact is that he's not a bad man just one who doesn't quite know how to handle a very delicate situation and wife while Sarah Paulson is very good as Abby Carol's lifelong friend who serves as her stable rock but the star of this show is Mara as she is fantastic and at long last after so many misfires she fulfils the promise she showed in the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo one can only hope she gets an Oscar nomination for her work.
But despite all of this I have to say that I would have a personal preference for Blue is the Warmest Colour from 2014 as that film to me had not only a darker edge to its proceedings but also its same sex love story worked much better for me as that film takes place in a contemporary setting where these sort of love stories work much better as they are much more accepted as a part of everyday life whereas having one taking place in a period setting didn't quite gel as well for me and that's not in any way shape or form a slight on this movie not at all but because it was pretty much something that ruined your life back then I felt that it didn't work as well here.
And so that was Carol a film that is very very good and worth seeing absolutely but I prefer Blue is the Warmest Colour despite that films faults, 3 and a half out of 5.
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