What does homosexuality mean?
Because Todd Hines is notoriously gay, Carroll and Therese's story must be fine, and it's almost become the unifying rhetoric of the film's fans. It is worth noting that this film is not its first same-sex film, nor is it the first same-sex film with women as the main line. If you want to question whether this movie is good or not, it is not at the level of popular movies. Another thing that is also worth noting is that the film was nominated in many important American film awards, but failed to win the award. Is it really that the American film industry is collectively boycotting homosexuality? The answer is of course no.
Among the same-sex films familiar to moviegoers, "Brokeback Mountain" and "Adele's Life" both achieved results at the Oscars. The fact that "Carroll" can be nominated for nominations can also give a glimpse of the judges' recognition of the film. But why didn't the award go to Todd in the end? After all, the film itself is not good enough. The other two same-sex works "Poison" and "Far From Heaven", also from the director, are much better than this one, at least in terms of visual impact and uniqueness of the film.
Let's talk about the director's portrayal of women. In this work, Todd has created two types of female images, one is a royal sister like Carol, and the other is a white lotus like Therese. Not to mention the many little white lotuses played by Rooney, let's look at Carroll played by Cate Blanchett. This is an independent and emotionally delicate and rich woman, and she has ideas and goals that she dares to pursue. This image is somewhat similar to another female image he portrayed in the TV movie "Fantasy", a single mother Miranda played by another Kate actress, Kate Winslet. The same marriage dissatisfaction, the same child disputes, the same emotional confusion too firm too. But the character of Miranda is richer, more layered and textured than Carroll's.
Of course, comparing the character of Miranda to Carroll is a little unfair. "Fantasy" is also a TV movie with episodes. Winslet has more performance space and opportunities to play, but Blanchett's opportunities are much more stretched. However, this does not mean that Blanchett has no room to play at all, but can focus on one point to explode with all his strength.
The quality of the film is not only good or bad. It
cannot be denied that Todd Hines is a director who is good at capturing psychological details. Back then, "Superstar Carpenter" let his talent in this area shine. Also in "Fantasy", every encounter in Miranda's life unfolded in the ups and downs of the plot and emotional waves. A good character image and the director's keen observation and control ability give a good actor enough room to play, so that the characters and the plot can achieve harmony and unity. Therefore, Todd's films are above the standard.
However, when looking at Carroll from Todd's other films, it's easy to see that there are all kinds of unsatisfactory aspects of the film, while the director has tried his best to control the balance. For example, the fullness of Carroll, the intensity of the conflict between the men and the two women, and the influence of society on lesbians have all lost some of their brilliance in the director's restraint, so that the film's performance is somewhat lack.
The director's purpose of finding balance should be to let the audience see the marginalized and disadvantaged form of homosexuals in society, and the feelings they give each other are even more profound than heterosexuals. However, restraint and repression may not be the best means. The director wants to talk about things objectively, so that the audience can collide with intense sparks in rational understanding. This method is actually conducive to raising the quality of the film. However, success cannot be guaranteed without challenges. Although "Carol" is a masterpiece of high quality, it is not enough to shake the hearts of more people.
The actor is too straight is a problem
Not all mainland audiences will praise this movie, and the most talked about is the actor's entry into the play. Cate Blanchett has her own unique charm and temperament. From the perspective of fans, she is enough to fascinate all beings by standing up. It is easy to break fans. However, if Kate is not Kate, but Carol, in reality, she may not be able to bend anyone. Fan frenzy is aimed at the role of the idol, not the role. And Kate herself, from the bottom of her heart, exudes the temperament that I can't be Lara. It probably took some effort to convince Lara that she was bent.
Let's talk about Rooney Mara, an actor known to most mainland audiences by "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo". Because the characters before the dragon tattoo girl are quite dazzling, Rooney will have hidden dangers that are difficult to subvert. However, the role of Therese completely subverted her previous image, and the pitiful and rustic white lotus image immediately made people shine. However, she has the same problem as Kate, which is not bending enough. Some people commented that the two of them are straight steel pipes, not malicious sarcasm. It is true that this woman's own androgynous characteristics contradict the soft and cute appearance in the film and create a texture that is difficult to bend.
In addition to the strong and straight temperament of the actors, the director's design of the plot also caused the problem of two people's acting skills but not participating in the play. In "Carol", the director desperately focused on the rivalry of the two heroines, but neglected to enhance the impact of the surrounding conflicts on the plot, and did not take advantage of social conflicts, marital conflicts and their feelings A stronger spark collided. One of the most direct consequences is that Kate's hard-working image of the royal girl's general attack is too one-sided, and Rooney is so cute that she doesn't know what to do wrong. Facing the powerful general attack queen, she is completely a silly little fan. It has little to do with the word "lover".
There is no best, only better.
Some people commented that this film is just a little bit of touch, and some people said that the best part of this film is its retraction. But in fact, the most important thing is that compared with the director's other works, this film did not make much progress and did not give too much surprise. This is a common problem with many nominated and even winning films and actors at the Oscars this year. However, these issues have been ignored by ardent fans, leading to over-hype, disappointment higher than expectations, and the trouble of over-reputation.
In "Carol", Kate has two very good performances: one is when Carol and her husband voluntarily gave up their rights when they were fighting for custody, and changed from guardianship to visitation in order to be with Therese; The struggle, pain, and even despair shown by Kate in this scene are progressive, bursting out little by little, with a powerful infectious force. When tasting this scene, the audience can empathize with Carroll's pain and helplessness. Compared with the previous performance with Rooney who was vaguely resisted and supported by acting skills, the performance of this one-man show is more natural and vivid, and Carroll's image is instantly plump.
The other is also a wonderful one-man show. At the end of the film, when Therese made up her mind to come to Carroll's place where she was working, the moment she looked at her. The director gave Carlos a close-up that almost filled the screen. When she looked in Therese's direction, the blurred eyes were filled with relief, firmness and joy, and the complexities were full of brilliance, but that look almost explained all Carol's feelings for Therese.
It must be admitted that the director is very good at stimulating the performance of the actors. Judging from the performance of the actors alone, Kate and Rooney both have amazing parts, especially Rooney's transformation from "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" to the current Therese, a completely new image, which is definitely worthy of admiration. However, the disharmony shown by the two opponents and the director's shallow explanation of the background and plot make the emotional convincing insufficient.
In 2013, the lesbian-themed film "The Life of Adele", which was also a smash hit, is more convincing. The film, co-starred by Adele Xalehoboulos and Lea Seydoux, is a subjective and bold expression of the "young and reckless" homosexual love between the two girls. The plot is not complicated, and the conflicting parts are not counted. too much. However, the scenes of rejection by the campus, the repressed plot of the family, and the emotional fluctuations between the two are enough to make people believe that true love is not easy, and the edge is difficult.
When a good actor and a good director meet a good subject, few people are willing to miss it. However, when the gimmick of homosexuality equals attention, it is also necessary to know that its tests and challenges are greater, and not every actor is suitable for this type of role. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are both good actors, but not the best fit for this work. Todd Hines is also a good director, just not the best this time. For movie fans, after seeing his performance at his best, and then watching a less stable work, there will naturally be disappointment and dissatisfaction. Sometimes being a filmmaker is really not easy, you can only do better, and you can never give yourself the best.
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