All throughout Carol, the latest film by Todd Haynes, Cate Blanchett glows like a lamp on a cold, we

All throughout Carol, the latest film by Todd Haynes, Cate Blanchett glows like a lamp on a cold, wet night. Who wouldn’t fall in love with her, in her furs, her perfect scarlet lipstick, and her effortless grace? She’s somewhere between Lauren Bacall and Ingrid Bergman - the steely sensuality of the former combined with the mature sophistication of the latter. In fact, one gets the sense that at first, lonely shopgirl Therese (Rooney Mara) merely wants to be near her, to bask in her leonine warmth.And who is Therese? In different hands, the character could be little more than a shadow, but Mara gives her a life of her own. One thing that the film does particularly well is illustrate the fluidity of one’s early twenties—the sense that, at any moment, anything could happen. Therese accepts Carol’s overtures largely out of curiosity. What would happen if…Soon enough, however, Therese realizes that her experiment may have far more significant consequences than she imagined. On a visit to Carol’s sumptuous mansion in rural New Jersey, she overhears an argument between Carol and her soon-to-be-ex-husband Harge (Kyle Chandler, doing the best he can with a rather thankless role). From there forward, the story unfolds with a distinct sense of foreboding, toward one of the most painfully ambiguous conclusions in recent memory.It’s a beautiful ride, though. The gold-filtered interiors of the department store where Therese works and the restaurants and hotel bars Carol frequents are set in stunning contrast with the dark, dreary winter streets and the stark white walls of Therese’s tiny apartment. Carter Burwell’s piano-dominated score infuses everything with delicate melancholy, and Haynes’ repeated use of windows as a frame for the scenes highlights the subtly voyeuristic nature of the story. It makes sense for Therese to be a photographer—Mara’s wide blue eyes seem to be drinking in everything around her. And we, the audience, we drink in this film’s delicious heartache, content to drift along with it wherever it takes us. ★★★★☆ -- source link

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