Carol
Brokeback Mountain with women: Todd Haynes directs this beautiful adaptation of the 1952 novel of forbidden love (penned by bisexual Talented Mr. Ripley author Patricia Highsmith). Aided by Carter Burwell’s tender score, Haynes conjures the book’s alchemy of attraction in how her hair falls into frame, her fingers brush her lips just so. Rooney Mara shines as young, uncertain Therese, but this is Cate Blanchett’s movie; almost from the first frame, she makes the title character impossible to resist, regardless of one’s past proclivities. With a sly smile and a sideways look, Blanchett’s CAROL is a constant invitation. Do yourself a favor and accept. –YSM