CAROL and the Power of Love

Carol is an acting showcase for Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara under the sensitive direction of Todd Haynes (Far from Heaven). A frustrated housewife with a broken marriage meets a young female store clerk and the two are drawn to each other amid 1950's America. It is essentially about two lonely souls searching for comfort and happiness amid overwhelming social and personal adversity. Stylistically it shares much in common with the classic Technicolor melodramas of the decade (Peyton Place, Magnificent Obsession) with sumptuous period set details and costume design. Among the likely Oscar nominations for this thoughtful, fine film, count on acting nods for Blanchett and Mara; acting doesn't get much better than this.