Carol

**Spoiler Alert**

Director: Todd Haynes/Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy and John Magaro

Already widely acclaimed is Todd Haynes' Carol; his powerful adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's The Price of Salt. Haynes' fascination with the rigid moral landscape of 1950s' America was evident in his film Far From Heaven, which not only explored the thorny issue of race relations but the closeted world of homosexuality. The inherent drama in watching characters from a far less tolerant time risk social condemnation is also the subject of his new film. It's easy to understand why he would find storytelling potential in the period's social landscape.

Rooney Mara plays Therese Belivet; a young woman working as a clerk at a toy store in New York City in the early 1950s. While waiting behind the counter, her eyes come to rest on an elegantly dressed, strikingly beautiful woman. The woman approaches the counter to inquire about merchandise but buys a toy train set after Therese makes a soft sales pitch. The fact that two women would negotiate the sale of a train set; a toy almost exclusively the domain of boys, tells us the two women are hardly bound by conventions. The train serves as kind of foreshadowing, for in the transaction, we see ample evidence of a mutual attraction, especially after the woman compliments Therese on her silly Santa hat.

The woman calls Therese a few days later after the train is delivered to invite her to lunch, which she eagerly accepts. Outside her job, we see that Therese is involved in a shaky relationship with a young man named Richard (Jake Lacy); who almost seems passive in his courting efforts. Therese also finds herself an object of affection for Richard's friend Dannie (John Magaro), who attempts to kiss her late one night in the newspaper office where he works.

Richard gives Therese a camera to pursue her interest in photography, which she hopes to parlay into a job at a local paper as well as an artistic endeavor.

Sometime after, we see Therese and the woman; Carol (Cate Blanchett) sitting in a restaurant; making small talk before their lunch. When Carol orders a martini with her lunch, Therese's innocence and indecision become glaring when she hesitates to order for herself. Therese's callow charm seems no match for Carol's seductive elegance but the two women are drawn to one another, nevertheless. When Carol asks Therese what she wants from life, the young woman offers an honest assessment of her own life when she says "I don't even know what I want for lunch."

We see Carol's personal life is in flux as she and husband contend with their separation. Though Carol seems intent on a divorce, her husband Harge (Kyle Chandler) tries to save their marriage, only to be dismayed by her resistance. Her husband's ire is partly inspired by Carol's attraction to women; one of which involves her old friend Abby (Sarah Paulson). Her preference for women results in Harge restricting access to her daughter; an unpleasant development that will fester as the story unfolds.

Things become more serious when Carol invites Therese over to her home. During the evening, the women learn much about one another. Carol is made aware of Therese's artistic side as the younger woman avails herself of the piano and demonstrates her interest in photography.

Carol's casual-seeming sex appeal, which is partly conveyed by form-fitting dresses, casts a spell on Therese. Physical contact finds its way into the evening festivities; particularly during a scene where Carol stands behind Therese; an ostensibly innocent shoulder-touch becomes charged with sexual potential. Though such a gesture would hardly seem shocking to our 21st century eyes; the act carries risk and danger in a 1950s' milieu.
The evening is interrupted by Carol's angry husband, who is well aware what is happening between the two women. Harge, infuriated by the sight of Therese, tries desperately to reclaim his wife's affections while making veiled makes threats to Carol about their daughter's custody. The women's evening is cut short after Carol becomes distraught after her heated exchanges with Harge.

As their relationship becomes more involved, Carol invites Therese to take a road trip to Chicago; another invitation she readily accepts. The trip strains Therese's relationship with Richard, who sees Carol as nothing more than a crush. When Richard tries to dissuade her from leaving, Therese becomes uncharacteristically defiant as she asserts her independence.
The scenes between Carol and Harge and Therese and Richard highlight the ways men once exerted their socially-sanctioned authority over women with impunity.

We can guess what will transpire on the trip, as the two women consummate their relationship; their passion finding full expression in bed. But the women also discover their time together has been monitored by a private detective in Harge's pay. The damning evidence of Carol's relationship is to be Harge's means to gain full custody of their daughter.

As their relationship is threatened and reduced to a state of ambiguity, the final scene powerfully and wordlessly captures the deep emotions the two women share. Therese and Carol fix their gaze on one another across a crowded room and though their future together is uncertain, the scene itself is beautiful and moving.

We can attribute part of the film's excellence to Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, who fearlessly inhabit their respective roles. I expected nothing less than tour de force acting from Blanchett but Rooney had much to prove to me. In previous roles, she's always seemed emotionally stiff, as if she rejected the Stella Adler and Stanislavsky methods for the Asperger's School of acting. But here she nails the role; showing us Therese's transformation from a young woman who isn't sure what she wants to becoming an assertive woman who is more than equal to her more worldly lover.

But of course the film's artistic success is also due to Haynes' impeccable direction and camera work. His habit of filming conversations where one actor is blocked out of the picture reminded me Edward Hopper's paintings, where we sometimes see the face or body of only one interlocutor. I also noticed how he nearly pushes a character off the screen by having them occupy a frame's edge.

The film's production designer should also receive a lion's share of credit. I was often astonished at how no detail of the period was left to chance.

We might forget that films about gay/lesbian/transgender issues have become more common these days and as a consequence; less shocking. A film like Carol; which will play shortly in multiplexes across the country, will probably raise few eyebrows, which is compelling evidence of progress.
Haynes has never shied away from material about the socially marginalized. Films like Poison, Safe, Far From Heaven and now Carol, feature characters who either live in self-imposed social exile or are forced to. I'm sure future his projects will be no different.

Haynes' film will no doubt figure into most critics top-ten lists for the year. It certainly earns a place in each.