by Phyllis Nagy (screenplay), Patricia Highsmith (novel)
Number 9 Films
I’m going to tell you straight up that this has an happy ending. This is not a given in a love story about two women in 1952, even in such a cosmopolitan locale as New York City, so I’m telling you now: there is a happy ending and neither woman ends up dead.
I was worried about that. I know I’m not the only one.
This is a beautiful movie about a young woman exploring what her sexuality means and her relationship with an older, more experienced woman, based on the 1952 novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith. It is notable that this was the first mainstream lesbian story that didn’t end with the death of one or both of the women, so… thank god for that.
Cate Blanchett plays Carol Aird, an older, upper class, New York suburban woman who is in the process of divorcing her husband. While Christmas shopping, she meets Therese (Rooney Mara) working at the counter at a department store. When Carol forgets her gloves, Therese mails them back to her, Carol takes Therese out for lunch, and their relationship slowly begins.
Carol has been with women before- her daughter’s godmother, Abby (Sarah Paulson) is a former lover and her best friend. Harge, Carol’s husband/soon to be ex (Kyle Chandler) knows about her proclivities, and it’s not totally clear how much they have factored into their decision to divorce, but, as she reminds him, he knew about that from the start. He knew what he was getting into. Therese has not, and she’s sort of dating a guy who is way more into her than she is into him, but is utterly fascinated by Carol (and there are indication of other women eyeing her knowingly- like they can tell even if she can’t yet).
The tension between Carol and Harge is the B Plot. He doesn’t want to let her go, and uses custody of her daughter to control her. It’s emotionally abusive and he is super controlling. What makes this work in the movie is that Kyle Chandler doesn’t play him as a bad dude, or a villain. He does love Carol, in his way, and he can’t see, until she forces him to, that what he wants would kill her, slowly, by inches. The key to a great antagonist is to make it clear how they think they are the protagonist in their own story, and everyone in this movie understood that.
I’ve been indifferent to Rooney Mara in the past- she just sort of existed (and then was cast as Tiger Lily in Pan, which…oof, no). Here I found her completely compelling. Therese is a very internal character- watching and analyzing and thinking, and making that kind of character one you want to watch isn’t easy. Mara has these giant eyes that she uses to great advantage, and you can see her as she tests out her feelings and urges and figures out what she wants and what that means.
Cate Blanchett is perfection. I feel like that doesn’t even need to be said- she’s La Blanchett, great and terrible as the dawn. Her Oscar nomination is well-earned.
This is a beautiful movie- parts of it look like it came from a 1950s movie, in the framing and shot compositions. The costuming and set decoration is just impeccable, and the music is sweet and sad. It’s just a really well put together movie. (I also am pretty sure it fails the reverse-Bechdel test- in the rare occasions that two men are shown talking to each other, they are talking about women.)
Just as an example of how tightly constructed this movie is: using what your character orders as a drink as shorthand for who they are is a tried and true screenwriting technique. When Carol and Therese are at lunch, Therese orders the same thing as Carol- she’s nervous, doesn’t want to waste the waiter’s time while she thinks, she doesn’t want Carol to think she doesn’t know what she wants, and she’s kind of blank slate when it comes to accommodating people. The drinks are brought in period-appropriate glasswear, the food they order is precisely what you expect to get in fancy (if smoke-filled) restaurant in 1952. Carol is well-dressed and swathed in fur while Therese has a plaid wool scarf- you can fill in the blanks by looking at these two and you don’t need them to spell it out. It’s all there for your eye to register (even as you’re going “poached eggs on creamed spinach? That doesn’t sound…great.”)
The movie is rated R, due to a single sex scene between Carol and Therese- there’s boobs (Mara’s) and the distinct tell that Carol goes down on Therese (like it’s not an implication. It 10000% happens, even if the audience doesn’t see it explicitly). But no one gets dismembered or anything, so I would not hesitate in recommending this for older teens, especially those that might need some positive LGBT representation in their lives.
It’s just a beautiful movie about figuring out who you are and what that means, and what you want and what happens when you meet someone who can help you do everything you need.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4z7Px68ywk
Carol is in theaters now and you can find tickets (US) at Fandango and Moviefone.
Cate Blanchett is perfection, and I loved how the costumes tell the story (just Carol’s choice of coats!) but Rooney Mara left me cold – I couldn’t understand why anyone would be interested in her monosyllabic responses. (She got better but still…) So costume design should win the Oscar. I loved how when Carol was with her husband, she wore a chunky bracelet that was a chain but not when she wasn’t. However, this movie suffered in comparison with Mustang, a Turkish film that is France’s entry for Best Foreign Film. That movie is worth seeking out. My husband was crying at the end. I have never seen five very young women do such amazing acting, the way they use their hair!
When I went to see this movie, I didn’t know that it was based on The Price of Salt (which I’d read way back in the early 1990s). As the movie progressed, however, I realized why the plot was so familiar to me and I was able to relax because I knew that there were not going to be any dead or unhappy lesbians. (I just can’t stand that trope in media. Especially mainstream one).
The movie looked beautiful and the costumes were superbe. I did feel that Mara and Blanchett lacked a bit of chemistry. However, it’s still a film worth seeing. I am miffed that the movie didn’t get nominated for Best Picture given that it was a fairly good movie.
Thank you for saying it has a happy ending! I was totally avoiding this movie because I assumed it ended badly, like these movies so often do. Maybe I’ll give it a chance after all. 🙂
I loved this movie! This was the lesbian romance I’ve been waiting my whole life for. I’m so glad you liked it Carrie. I feel like this movie is so good, it should appeal to straight audiences, but since I’m not straight, I have a hard time judging it. I was kind of nervous about seeing it with my husband, but he was totally absorbed by it too.
I’m really surprised by the comments that the chemistry between the main characters was lacking because I felt like their chemistry was scorching. That first lunch, where Carol looks at Therese like she’s an item on the menu. OMG. The hotel scenes. OMFG.
I have no idea if I’ve seen Rooney Mara in anything before – if I did, she didn’t make an impression. But here, in this movie, I thought she was great.
@cleo – oops, I meant RedHeadedGirl not Carrie. Still glad that you liked it!
Poached egg on creamed spinach is DELICIOUS. With an English muffin it is eggs Florentine, a glorious brunch option, which I vaguely remember first eating it in a Washington restaurant with mimosas, because that’s how Episcopalians celebrate the end of church.
I listened to the book at the start of December and I loved it. I have been so eager to see this and I haven’t yet and your review just makes me want to see it all the more!
I wonder if Kate and Rooney Mara ever discussed their weird career arcs over lunch. Kate went from Fant4stic to Captive and Rooney went from Pan to Carol. I’m glad both landed on their feet the same way that fellow Fant4stic actor Michael B. Jordan did with Creed.
Now I really want to see it. I already wanted to because strong female characters with agency plus Blanchett who has been ideal ever since the early days of Elizabeth when she was perhaps twenty years old. The only reason I’d hesitated is my concern that a tragic ending would ‘punish’ the characters. YAY for defying expectations.
Also, I’m a major Fingersmith fan–Sarah Watters’ novel and the BBC adaptation starring Sally Hawkins…another historical romance featuring two women with the happy ending they deserve.
I didn’t love this. I wanted to as I love Cate and Rooney is very good, but I found it so boring! The spare dialogue and spare plot nearly sent me into a coma. The clothes were gorgeous and Cate was beautiful to watch, but I kept looking at the time and begging the movie gods to set me free. And I beg to differ that it was a happy ending. I think it’s happy for now until society’s ’50s mores intrude and they find they can’t live the life they want together.
Your first paragraph is everything. These are things I always need to know upfront. I’m definitely going to have to see it.
Can anyone tell me how the husband found out where they were? Somehow missed it watching the movie on a plane trip.
The detective (the husband sought out) would use his skills to find them: Probably the husband called a detective service, the man would stake out the house, observing Carol’s moves and then follow them wherever they went. It was only at the last motel stop that he was able to get the necessary evidence (since Carol and Therese made love there); he did say he was ‘efficient’ and was able to mail out the necessary tape to the husband.
i felt that this movie was beautiful in every way and that both the leads stepped over their highest standards to pull of a movie that was both moving and sublimely acted, it had it all romance, the threat of impending problems for them both, the beauty and also the ending was done in such a manner that it left it open for the audience to interpret and i wld think it wld or should of been interpreted as a possible fulfillment of their desires in a relationship where they wld make a life together.
Sublimely done and all who were involved with it should be ever so proud of it,i think it deserved every award there was, and i was so embarrassed by the academy for not recognizing it with more awards, specially for the leads, but then again the ending had hope and was not the formula type ending where one or both of them ended up going of with a man or killing them selves or going mad, the ending was instead full of hope, something that the academy missed totally, and went instead with a movie where it was grafic murder or killings.
The Academy has still a lot of growing up to do.
I like everything about the movie. It might seems dull due to the 50’s theme but I think it was perfect. And No, it is not a typical Hollywood film that is full of talk and actions. In fact, it is like watching a European film, a little dull and there is a lot of silence.
The costumes, cars, the music was amazing…I
thought that Cate Blanchett and Mara Rooney was a perfect couple for
this movie. I could not think of any actresses who would fit for the
role. I watch the movie and then, re-read the book. It makes perfect
sense to me as why Therese fell in love with Carol although there is a
huge age gap. A truly must-have as a DVD collections. It is a thoughtful character study and erotically romantic
rather than with explicit sex….