Yes, I do occasionally like a contemporary film and Carol is another intelligent and personal film by Todd Haynes, whose artistic interest in the 1950's (see his 2002 film Far from Heaven, an inspired remake of Douglas Sirk's All That Heaven Allows from 1955) shows an understanding of the relevance of the period to today. Carol is essentially a two-character film, with Cate Blanchett as the wealthy Carol and Rooney Mara as the shopgirl Therese with whom she has an affair. The subtlety of the characters and their relationship harkens back to D.W. Griffith, with its understated understanding of how much is expressed by facial expressions that take the place of words, within a structure of flashbacks that circle back around to the present in the manner of David Lean's Brief Encounter (1945).
The period re-creations are effectively muted; the film takes place from late 1952 to early 1953, as Eisenhower's inauguration and Hank Williams death are heard in the background, along with the music of Eddie Fisher and Patti Page; Haynes and scriptwriter Phyllis Nagy demonstrate in a low-key way how much has changed since 1952 but also how much has remained the same. Edward Lachman's slightly grainy and smoky color cinematography evokes the fifties, while Carter Burwell's Philip-Glass-like score captures the subdued emotions of the period.
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