Written by Phyllis Nagy
Based on the novel "The Price of Salt", by Patricia Highsmith
Starring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler and Sarah Paulson
Set in 1950s New York, "Carol" tells the story of forbidden love, as a young aspiring photographer finds herself infatuated with an older woman. As their intimate relationship develops, complications of living in their time see to it that their love is anything but easy.
From the beginning, this film has everything going for it. Top notch actors with brilliant director, a masterful cinematographer, a beautiful score and a gorgeous production design. The time of the story is encapsulated perfectly onto film and makes the world believable. Each shot keeps you engaged and keeps your eyes on the screen. But where it lacks, I'm afraid, is the most important part. The story.
While the the story isn't exactly overdone, it has been done before. And it's been done better. It is truly a heart breaking story, but the way it is told make it hard to connect. Drama seems to be forced upon the audience. It is as if the director is saying "feel this way because I told you to feel this way". We are not shown why we should feel a certain way.
Certain scenes in the film felt as though they were incomplete and needed more background than was given in order to truly connect with the characters. Everything seemed to jump around from one problem to the next with no real solution or conclusion. And not in a realistic way. It felt as though, perhaps there was more to the film, but for one reason or another it was cut.
This film will certainly garner some awards. And it should. As I said before, everything is set to have made this will great! But somehow, through it all, they failed to focus on the most important thing. Whether that was through editing or writing, I can't be sure. All I know is that it felt as if it insisted upon itself.
My Rating: 6/10
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