Overview
A poignant love story that defies societal norms and explores the depths of human connection.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- wistful
- intimate
- restrained
- quiet evening
- romantic movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly celebrated Todd Haynes's precise direction, the performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, the cinematography, costumes, score, and emotionally restrained adaptation.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Carol and Therese pursue an attraction in 1950s New York while marriage, motherhood, and social norms threaten their relationship.
The first meeting and subsequent exchanges between Carol and Therese communicate desire through eye contact, gestures, and carefully composed shots.
Critics repeatedly identify elegant restraint, controlled beauty, and the charged present tense of romantic desire as defining qualities.
Carol's marriage and custody dispute place her private relationship under scrutiny and threaten her competence as a mother.
Films like Carol, and why
The Handmaiden
period lesbian romance shaped by social constraints, elegant restraint, and emotionally charged glances
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
lgbtq+ period romance balancing intimate desire against hostile social conventions and family pressures
Far from Heaven
melodramatic forbidden romance rendered through meticulous period design and controlled visual style
Brokeback Mountain
quietly devastating queer love story emphasizing performance, atmosphere, and social repression
Movie Details
- Director
- Todd Haynes
- Release Date
- 2015-11-20
- Runtime
- 118 min
- Rating
- 7.5 / 10 (4044)
Cast
- Cate Blanchett
- Rooney Mara
- Kyle Chandler
- Jake Lacy
- Sarah Paulson
- John Magaro
- Cory Michael Smith
- Kevin Crowley
- Nik Pajic
- Carrie Brownstein
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Carol about?
- A young department-store clerk and a married older woman risk social ruin when their 1950s attraction becomes impossible to deny.
- What is Carol like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Carol as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Carol violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Carol.
- What did critics think of Carol?
- Critics broadly celebrated Todd Haynes's precise direction, the performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, the cinematography, costumes, score, and emotionally restrained adaptation.
- Which films are like Carol?
- Films with a similar feel include The Handmaiden, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Far from Heaven, and Brokeback Mountain.
- How long is Carol?
- Carol runs 118 minutes.
- Where can I watch Carol?
- In United States, Carol streams on fuboTV, Lionsgate+ Amazon Channel.
