Carol (Todd Hayness, 2015): UK|USA|France

Reviewed by Maxime de Rooij. Viewed at the AFI Fest 2015 in Hollywood.

halloThis was a wonderful movie. It is a movie everyone has to see. A lesbian novel which they show you in a wonderful way.

The movie Carol is screenwritten by Phyllis Nagy. The novel is written by Patricia Hightsmith. Rooney Mara who played the young lady Therese Belivet who falls in love with the older woman Carol Aird, who played Cate Blanchett. The friend of Carol, the only one she can talk to about Theresa, is played by Abby Gerhard. Rooney Mara is a wonderful actress that’s way she won the award best actress at the Cannes Film festival 2015

The film starts with a man in a restaurant who sees Theresa and he walks towards her. Theresa is stiting at the table with Carol but Carol leaves them alone and walks away. There is a short flashback from Theresa in a toy shop in which Carol looks to Theresa.

At that moment in the toy shop they meet eachother for the first time. Theresa works in the toy shop. Carol ordered a train as a christmas present for her daughter there but she forgets her globes at the counter. Because of that they have contact afterwards. They fall in love and make a trip, but back in the days it was not normal to fall in love with a woman so Carol goes back home to pretend her man from stealing her daughter and Carol leave Theresa. Then Carol realizes that she loves Theresa and that it is strange that her man fights for the daughter because of that. Carol goes back to Theresa and asks if Theresa wants to live with her, but she says no. Then Theresa goes back to Carol who is eating at that moment in a restaurant with people. Carol and Theresa look to eachother, the love and the strong face impression make the end magnificent.

The shots are perfectly handled. The movie is filmed as a movie from back in the days. You can see that back in everything, for example the clothes and the hat that the men are wearing. Also there are old cars and old televisions. In my opinion it makes the film more beautiful to see.

There is a lot of cuts in the editing from the movie which is applicable. Also the close-up which makes it more intense and you can see a lot of emotions in this way. During the close-ups you can also see in the face expression that they are thinking a lot.

The extreme long shot makes it nice because you see the beautiful landscape with snow which makes it fairytale-like and it gets you in a really christmas-like feeling.

There is a lot of piano music in the movie. This also makes it feel like it’s more back in the days and also sensitive.

The film endless love is similar in my opinion, two people fall in love, but can’t be together for some reason. And the important thing is that there is no difference between two women who fall in love or a man and woman.

It is definitely worth the time to see this movie. Everyone should see it and realise that it is totally normal for two women to fall in love. Still in these days people think this is weird and that is awful. If you like romantic movies then this is definitely the movie for you.

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Published:
11.16.15 / 10pm
Category:
AFI Filmfest 2015, Films