Carol (2015)

An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman in 1950s New York.

Director:

Todd Haynes

Writers:

Phyllis Nagy (screenplay), Patricia Highsmith (novel)

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson

Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 76 wins & 238 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cate Blanchett	...	Carol Aird
Rooney Mara	...	Therese Belivet
Kyle Chandler	...	Harge Aird
Sarah Paulson	...	Abby Gerhard
Jake Lacy	...	Richard Semco
John Magaro	...	Dannie McElroy
Cory Michael Smith	...	Tommy Tucker
Kevin Crowley	...	Fred Haymes
Nik Pajic	...	Phil McElroy
Carrie Brownstein	...	Genevieve Cantrell
Trent Rowland	...	Jack Taft
Sadie Heim	...	Rindy Aird
Kk Heim	...	Rindy Aird (as Kennedy Heim)
Amy Warner	...	Jennifer Aird
Michael Haney	...	John Aird

Storyline

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.

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Plot Keywords:

lesbian | lesbian romance | road trip | child custody | waterloo iowa | 

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Taglines:

Some people change your life forever

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a scene of sexuality/nudity and brief language

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 January 2016 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Price of Salt

Filming Locations:

Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$11,800,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$253,510, 22 November 2015, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,711,491, 31 March 2016

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,272,135, 1 May 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Weinstein Company,Film4,Number 9 Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In an interview for HitFix, Todd Haynes said that Cate Blanchett reminded him of actress Monica Vitti (in the role of Vittoria) in L'Eclisse (1962). Haynes made the connection to Vitti in the scene where Therese develops her photograph of Carol asleep, with a lock of hair on her cheek. The style and position of Carol's hair is similar to that of a sleeping Vittoria in a scene from the Italian film.

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Goofs

Therese boards a train to "Penn Station" in New York City. It is apparent that the train is running on the Erie Railroad's Main Line. In 1952, that train would never have entered New York and instead would have terminated at Jersey City. Even today, that train terminates at Hoboken and not at Penn Station. Also, as another writer pointed out, the train announcement stated that the train would stop at Secaucus Junction, which did not exist until 2003.

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Quotes

Carol Aird: Now what happened with Therese... I wanted. And I will not deny it.

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Connections

Features Sunset Blvd. (1950)

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Soundtracks

Smoke Rings
Performed by Les Paul and Mary Ford
Written by Ned Washington and Gene Gifford
Words and Music by Gene Gifford and Ned Washington
Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd./EMI Mills Music Inc.
Used by permission of Shapiro, Bernstein & Co., Inc. on behalf of Catherine Hinen Music
Courtesy of Capitol Records LLC
Under license from Universal Music Operations Ltd.

User Reviews

"I miss you... I miss you..."

Finally. FINALLY. This is the movie which completely overwhelmed my expectations and blew me away.

Romance is actually one of my favorite genres, but unfortunately it has let me down a lot more than once. Not the case with Carol. This has a strong possibility of being the best movie of 2015.

Therese is a woman working in a store who has an interest in trains and photography. But her hobbies is not enough to escape her boring and quite uneventful life. Carol has a wonderful daughter and is doing fine financially... but has an husband (whom she is trying to divorce) who won't leave her alone and makes her feel miserable.

These two people meet, and... they connect.

First off, the story itself is already incredibly captivating. It takes place during a time period where homosexuality was not only frowned upon, but there were even laws against it. So seeing the two of them facing struggles in order to keep in contact with each other is fascinating to behold. And it is because the love story is so damn beautiful. There is a lot of visual language. Eye contact and body language often speaks for itself. And it's excellently executed, as you sometimes know exactly how these two character are feeling without a single word spoken. And even the dialogue itself has subtlety to it. There are plenty of times where either Carol or Therese insinuate feelings by using seemingly casual sentences. "Your perfume... it smells good." is really just a synonym for "I want to kiss you". "Oh stop it, you look perfect!" can very well mean "I want to spend the rest of my life with you." The lines are not obvious giveaways and I love it. The audience gets to think for themselves.

But what really makes this movie work is the acting. It's absolutely

amazing. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are at their best ever. They make the characters so real, so human, that you wish they actually existed. Kyle Chandler also throws in a remarkable performance as the husband. You root for the two girls... but you don't hate Harge either. There is one scene where he has gone so far as to get himself to the house Carol and Therese is staying at for the weekend. And when he's told he can't have her, I was really feeling bad for the guy!

I can't remember the last time I have been as touched by a movie. It hit my heart just in the right places, and when I walked out of the theater I felt like I had just experienced someone else's life.

Okay, the trailer revealed too goddamn much from the movie, so several important plot details I already knew beforehand. But even that couldn't stop the perfectly orchestrated ocean of emotions it bathed me in. Carol will stick to your brain like glue after you've watched it. Oh and the movie too ;)