Pride Month gave me the perfect excuse to finally revisit Carol, a film I admired more than I ever truly loved. Todd Haynes’ 2015 romance remains an astonishing achievement in visual storytelling, even if I still find myself wishing the screenplay gave me a little more to hold onto beneath all the longing glances and carefully guarded emotions.
Before I lost my sight, Carol was the kind of film that felt like a dream. Every frame seemed meticulously crafted through its production design, costumes, cinematography, makeup, hairstyling, and lighting. Haynes pours so much attention into the look of the film that it often compensates for the screenplay’s tendency to leave nearly everything buried in subtext. The story unfolds through stolen glances, hesitant gestures, and unspoken feelings, requiring actors capable of expressing entire conversations without saying a word.
Fortunately, Cate Blanchett is more than up to that challenge. Her performance as Carol is elegant, commanding, and deeply expressive. She communicates volumes with the slightest shift in expression, making it easy to understand why Therese is drawn to her. Rooney Mara takes a very different approach, crafting a more subdued and tentative character. For the most part, she succeeds. Mara has the doe-eyed innocence the role demands, though I’ve always felt she naturally projects a level of confidence that occasionally works against the vulnerability Haynes seems to be seeking. It’s one of the reasons she’s so effective in films like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, where that inner strength becomes an asset rather than something to suppress.
The supporting cast also does strong work. Jake Lacy, Kyle Chandler, and Sarah Paulson all contribute believable period performances that help flesh out the world surrounding the central romance.
For this rewatch, I experienced Carol through the audio description track on HBO Max, narrated by Eli Schiff. The description works hard to communicate the action and visual details, but it also highlighted one of the challenges of revisiting a film like this after losing my sight. So much of Carol’s power comes from its visual language. The narration can tell me what is happening, but it cannot fully recreate the atmosphere Haynes builds through lighting, composition, and texture. As a result, the experience wasn’t quite as rewarding as I remembered.
That realization also reinforced something I’ve always felt about Carol. When a film’s greatest strength is its visual aesthetic, it can become harder to connect with once that element is diminished. The plot, characters, and story itself have never resonated with me as strongly as the craftsmanship surrounding them. That’s not necessarily a flaw, but it does explain why Carol remains a film I respect more than one I actively enjoy.
Even so, it’s difficult not to admire the artistry on display. Haynes creates a gorgeous period piece anchored by a terrific performance from Blanchett and strong work across the board. I may not be completely swept away by the romance, but I can certainly appreciate the extraordinary care that went into bringing it to life.Revisiting Carol, I remember it fondly for a visual feast set by Todd Haynes, but if you remove the visual aspect, the script then needs to be rescued by the excellent cast.
Fresh: 6.9/10
