Carol is that rare example of a film that is nearly flawless in design, story and performances. The emotional conflicts are so powerful that it’s worth a watch more than once.

Overall, “Carol” is an unapologetic, slightly mischievous, visually rich, arthouse drama that may have a crossover appeal.

The soul of the film is in the little details—the side glances and nervously tapped cigarettes and jazz records playing in the background—rather than the broader, more easily understood movements of plot and character. If you’re watching Carol, watch it closely. Not a lot happens, but an entire world is revealed.

Haynes and his principal actors manage to convey the acute loneliness felt by those in unconventional relationships that society frowns upon. The agony and the ecstasy are all conveyed in fleeting, nuanced moments through exquisitely drawn body language and facial expressiveness.

While it isn’t as ‘explosive’ a story as the book once claimed to be, you’ll find that it is a love story society (at the time) forbade. A love story nonetheless and a rather beautiful, tender one at that. Rather tastefully done, Mr. Haynes!

In one moment it is an American road movie of lovers on the run like Bonnie and Clyde , the next an erotic thriller in motel rooms like Lolita and in another, a lesbian pulp fiction with spies and hidden cameras. It’s these hybrid genre elements of Highsmith’s text that director Todd Haynes incorporates so well that makes Carol an unexpected love story.

While Blanchett not surprisingly is great as this very rich and polished yet dangerously brittle woman who starts off as the more confident and even a tad pushy one in the affair, Mara is a revelation as a girl who is as vulnerable as she is generous.

Based on Patricia Highsmith’s The Price of Salt, Oscar-nominated Carol is a triumph of its lead actors. Cate Blanchett sweeps through the film in a flurry of lipstick and furs. Stylised to her finger-tips, Blanchett makes everything Carol does, down to eating the olive from a Martini, an act of sensual fashion.

Though it’s a worthwhile watch in every regard, the brilliant performances alone can be the reason for one to make time for this one!

A showcase for the towering talents of Blanchett and Mara, Carol is a sumptuous watch. Blanchett’s coldness and occasional aloofness are offset against Mara’s portrayal of Therese, who is vulnerable at times, displaying controlled devotion at others, and occasionally wide-eyed at her own unfettered self-discovery.

Skip Carolunless you are a fan of Blanchett’s smouldering femininity.

Underplay and restraint are the strengths of Carol. This is a film that stays clear of dramatisation. It kills you softly. Even in the end, the much-expected and pending Carol’s declaration of love to Therese happens in a blink-and-miss moment. The finesse and skill at work in Carol are spellbinding. This is a film you sit back and admire. Its fragile nature is evocative. Its beautiful women are enchanting. Its look at relationships and behaviour is mature and relevant. This is a film to savour.  

The film is brilliant, melancholic and tender, just like love. Watch Carol to see emotions flow beautifully on the big screen. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara deliver performances of a lifetime. There’s no reason to miss this one. 

As a showcase for Cate Blanchett’s acting prowess, it is wonderful. As a meditation on a love that defies social norms, it leaves room for so much more.