New York City, 1952: Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett) is a wealthy, middle-aged woman in the process of divorcing her husband who is resisting her divorce. While Christmas shopping for her young daughter, she shares a mutual attraction with Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), a young store clerk who aspires to be a photographer."Carol" has the right production values (cinematography, set design, music, and costumes) that help director Todd Haynes recreate a time period long gone. The journey is beautiful in a mysterious way.Blanchett is as great as always. She is as suave as suave could possibly get and she can show the inner conflict of someone whose new relationship could jeopardize having equal custody to her daughter once the divorce proceedings begin.Mara, in a subtle way, conveys the innocence of a young woman coming of age in a very unusual way. I have no doubt of her talents but she was difficult to read at times; she could show depth but sometimes seemed too restrained, rarely changing her facial expression. It's hard to tell if this was the choice of Mara, Haynes, or both.For much of the film, it seemed like the main characters were going through the motions but there could have been more chemistry between them even though repression and conformity were 1950s hallmarks. (An aside: it seems this is the season for movies taking place in New York in the 1950s. "Brooklyn" and "Bridge of Spies" are two other examples.) Clearly, the benchmark for forbidden same-sex love stories is "Brokeback Mountain" (2005). In that film, there was more evidence of tension building between the two lovers. The separation anxiety was also more evident including the excitement of reuniting. This is not to say that "Carol" must be similar but it could have used less restraint.It is in the last half-hour that the movie really shines. Blanchett is superb in a scene involving her husband and their lawyers. And later, the film finishes at just the right point leaving only a tiny bit of ambiguity. It left so much subtle emotion that I only wish the rest of the film had been as strong.

The production design on this is beautiful. Even in its less glamorous scenes, it oozes 50s American charm. It's a fake world and a perfect setting for this story, an exercise in social control bristling with tense expectation and makes for a perfect setting for this love story. It's almost dreamlike, both Blanchett and Mara effortlessly floating from scene to scene. Mara, innocent, playful. Blanchett, cold, mysterious. Dialogue delivered calmly, the camera allowed to linger and drift. Music poignant, haunting. It's not all plain sailing of course, far from it, but the ups and downs are timed perfectly, the editor (Affonso Gonçalves) doing his work perfectly. In fact the pacing of the whole thing is pretty amazing. It's very much a film of twos. Two people, two worlds, light and dark. Fantastic!

I recently watched this movie, and I really liked it! Essentially, the movie explores the romantic relationship that develops between a department store clerk (Therese) and an older elegant woman (Carol). As homosexuality was not widely accepted during the time period of the story, the 1950s, their relationship is kept hidden and is faced with many obstacles.The movie's timing is relatively slow, but that actually enhanced the story line in my opinion; it made the relationship between Therese and Carol flourish at a more natural and realistic pace. I also thoroughly appreciated the beautiful scenery seen throughout the film. The costumes and overall setting designs were phenomenal and definitely reflective of the time period. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, the two leading actresses, both did a superb job at portraying their characters; their passion was extremely evident, and they really embodied their characters in an honest and believable way.I think my only point of contention is with the movie's ending. I personally felt that it was a bit rushed, which somewhat undermines the slow pacing that pervades the rest of the movie. I was left wanting to know more about what happened with their relationship and with the custody battle for Rindy. Nevertheless, the movie did not disappoint, and I highly recommend it!

Romance blossoms between a wealthy, middle aged woman and an open-minded younger woman in this lusciously filmed drama set during the 1950s. While both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are effective in their respective roles, the most interesting aspect of 'Carol' is the near ignorance of everyone else to the possibility of the pair being in love. More than half an hour passes before Blanchett's husband questions how Mara knows her and director Todd Haynes does wonders keeping the mutual attraction between the pair subtle. Much is communicated simply through looks and stares without the need for explicit romantic moments or obvious dialogue. This subdued approach in turns makes Blanchett's more emotional moments in the second half of the film more powerful as she comes against a "morality clause" in her impending divorce proceedings. Certain aspects of both female protagonists are left uncomfortably murky - most notably, the suggestion that Blanchett might have a history of seducing younger women. Both characters are generally well fleshed out though as they are torn between the hearts' desires and being what everyone else expects them to be. Carter Burwell provides an enchanting music score that perfectly complements the proceedings and the memorable final scene is a testament to the ability of images to convey more than words.