Carol is the most acclaimed lesbian film of all time. It’s understandable in 2015, but it’s hard to believe the story is as old as 1952. After her success with Strangers on a Train, Patricia Highsmith wrote The Price of Salt under the pseudonym Claire Morgan. Despite being a lesbian who wrote about her own experiences, Highsmith didn’t want to ruin her career. The book was successful with lesbians, but a movie adaptation in the 50’s would’ve been impossible. Lesbian screenwriter Phyllis Nagy adapted the novel using the republished title Carol. Despite hesitation from studios for its homosexual storyline and female leads, Carol was just as successful. It was nominated for 6 Academy Awards except Best Picture and Best Director Todd Haynes.
It was kind of a glaring omission that reminded people of Brokeback Mountain. Carol isn’t really made for me, but I can still see its artistic merit. It deserved all of its nominations for Best Cinematography, Adapted Screenplay, Original Score, and Costume Design as it immerses itself in the 1950’s. Although both women are on equal footing, Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress and Rooney Mara was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. Blanchett delivers another great performance as the mysterious Carol Aird who arrives at a department store wearing a mink coat. After her breakout role in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Mara became the aspiring photographer Therese Belivet who spots Carol while working near Christmas. Carol doesn’t follow the usual lesbian romance clichés since it isn’t tragic and didn’t have an agenda.
Therese is young and doesn’t know what she wants. Jake Lacy plays her boyfriend Richard who can’t get her to marry him and John Magaro is their friend Donnie who has his advances shot down as well. Carol doesn’t hide her sexuality from her husband Harge played by Kyle Chandler. Harge fails to fight for their marriage as they go through a divorce. Despite a bitter custody battle, their daughter Rindy is an unfortunate causality when Carol pursues other women. Sarah Paulson plays Carol’s former lover and friend Abby. Though Therese is the woman that Carol decides to take on a road trip. The R rating isn’t really apparent until their hotel scene. Cory Michael Smith plays the somewhat creepy fellow traveler Tommy Tucker who ends up spying on them. Therese and Carol go their separate ways, but the movie comes full circle and has a surprisingly non-tragic ending. Carol succeeds by appealing to a certain crowd.
Therese meets Carol in a department store
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I saw all the important parts on FX and thought it was pretty good, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara doing excellent jobs in their respective parts. The story itself should be read by anyone struggling to find who they are in the LGBTQ community as it offers a degree of hope, but Highsmith was hardly who Therese was in reality. Yes, she was an admitted closeted lesbian then, but she was self-loathing in her sexuality, and was selfish and hurtful to every woman she had a relationship with, not exactly a nice person. I saw an interview with her on the Criterion DVD of Purple Noon and she really did come off as someone you didn’t want to get in the orbit of. As a writer she’s one of the best, but as a person there’s a lot to be desired. Carol and Therese I feel compassion and love towards, Highsmith not so much.
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Even reading about her I got the impression that her work was better than her as an individual. Interesting stories and Carol feels like the most personal one.
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