Of all the strong Oscar contenders emerging in 2015, few have captured our imagination in the vein of Todd Haynes’ Carol. It’s based on Patricia Highsmith’s revered novel The Price of Salt, and we’re now within a fortnight of the film’s much-anticipated release.
Orbiting around the atypical relationship between Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara), The Weinstein Company’s period piece is a timely tale of two lovers from opposite ends of the social ladder who cross paths. Burdening the brunt of social stigma and segregation – Haynes’ picture takes place in New York City circa 1950 – the film introduces us to Mara’s Therese, a young 20s-something New Yorker trying to make ends meet as a Manhattan department store clerk.
By chance, she meets Blanchett’s titular and alluring lead, and finds herself drawn in by her presence. In today’s clip, there are hints of Carol’s loveless marriage and a desire to escapes the ties of monogamy, with the chemistry between the two shining through against the quaint aesthetic. Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith complete the cast.
Todd Haynes’ Carol will make its bow first in the States, opening in theaters on November 20. From there, it’ll make its way across the pond for UK release the following week on November 27, and you can get the jump by checking out our glowing review.
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.
