Review: Carol (2015)

I suppose it could have been worse, I guess.

Director Todd Haynes crafts an incredibly subdued, sedate cinematic examination of lesbianism in the 50s, and, while the film is certainly beautiful to look at, it's central storyline is marred by unintentionally unsympathetic main protagonists, and a general sense of been-there-done-that in regards to it's depiction of lesbianism, and the well worn and overdone 'illicit romance' movie formula.

Let me state right off the bat that Todd Haynes crafts the film very elegantly. When coupled with Edward Lachman's gently muted color palette and Carter Burwell's achingly beautiful score (by far the most emotive part of the film), Haynes' direction is very precise and pristine, and makes the film feel almost dreamlike, and extraordinarily meditative. It takes its sweet time to unspool over the course of two hours, and yet, over the course of those two hours, not much emotion is felt other then a nostalgic longing for something or other. But at the same time, his immense sense of reservation and subtly works against the film, as the film seems more preoccupied with looking pretty on an aesthetic level, then creating an emotionally arresting or engaging story.

Both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara turn in solid performances, no doubt about that. Both actresses are quite good in the roles, but those roles feel somewhat undercooked. All Mara has to do is gaze longingly at Blanchett, which, trust me, is an easy task, regardless of your sexual preference. Meanwhile, all Blanchett has to do is look alluring and graceful, and that type of thing is as easier to her as breathing. Their scenes together don't feel contrived, I'll say, but at the same time, there isn't a real sense of intense emotion that isn't already being convied in the music, which I feel carries most of the emotional baggage.

And now to move onto what I really feel undermines the film, and that's the screenplay. Based on the 1952 novel by Patricia Highsmith (who herself was a lesbian), the screenplay asks us to feel sympathy for Rooney and Cate, yet does little to provide it beyond relying on standard forbidden love tropes and idioms. For instance, the film tries to paint Cate Blanchett's husband (played by Kyle Chandler, who is divorcing her after she had an affair with Sarah Paulson), as this mean, uncaring man. However, every action he takes comes across as the logical step to take when your wife suddenly begins to have affairs with people, and brings those girlfriends to your home while she has her nine year old daughter staying over. Repeatedly, Chandler attempts to appeal to Blanchett's love for her daughter, citing that he is willing to forgive and forget and bury the hatchet, but Blanchett refuses, instead selfishly pursuing Rooney Mara, despite threat of having her own daughter taken away from her. Now, one could argue that taking away a child from their parent just because that parent is a lesbian isn't exactly the most upstanding legal action, but imagine if it where a man, who were inviting his various girlfriends over while he had his daughter there? Wouldn't that be, at the very least, potentially damaging for the child? Even when Chandler bugs Blanchett and Mara's hotel room, I feel more sympathy for him, mostly because Blanchett and Mara are only in that motel because Blanchett decided to suddenly drive randomly around the country without telling anyone, or alerting her daughter, who then begins to desperately miss her mommy, and that drives the husband to go searching for Blanchett.

That central aura of selfishness really is what makes it hard for me to sympathize with Blanchett's character. If you want to keep custody of your daughter so badly, why don't you hold off on having affairs until you've finalized the divorce? Why must you continually try to seek to undermine your good standing in the eyes of the court? Are you stupid? No, you are just selfish, pure and simple.

Furthermore, nothing about this plot is really anything different from any of the other "Illicit Romance" flicks that have come before. Heck, Todd Haynes already did this basic idea of two forbidden lovers in Far from Heaven, which did the same idea, but with an interracial couple. I mean, yes, the details of the plot might be different, but overall, it's the exact same kind of story.

And in the end, that's what Carol is. It's just another Forbidden Romance, just this time with Lesbians. Too understated and subdued to break free from it's clichés and overdone plot points, and therefore isn't anymore groundbreaking then any other film to feature lesbians as the protagonists.

It's just the same old thing, done up in a fancy mink coat.

2 stars, because at least it's pretty to look at.