Todd Haynes – We Are Movie Geeks

MAY DECEMBER – Review

*L to R: Natalie Portman as Elizabeth Berry with Julianne Moore as Gracie Atherton-Yoo, in MAY DECEMBER. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Netflix*

Director Todd Haynes re-teams with Julianne Moore, star of his Douglas Sirk-style melodrama FAR FROM HEAVEN, for another soapy melodrama (complete with emotionally-overwrought score) for Haynes’ new MAY DECEMBER. The story was apparently inspired by the 1990s Mary Kay LeTourneau case, a tabloid scandal about a married, 36-year-old teacher who was convicted of raping her 12-year-old male student, a crime for which she went to jail and where she gave birth in prison. The pair had another child and eventually married when the boy reach adulthood although they divorced years later.

It is a tabloid tale that seems made for Todd Haynes. However, while the couple in the movie have a somewhat similar history, the movie’s story takes place twenty years after the infamous events, when the still-married couple are living a comfortable, quiet suburban life in a small island town near Savannah, Georgia. Gracie (Julianne Moore) and Joe (Charles Melton) are well-liked in the community which seems to have forgotten all about the scandal.

As the couple’s two younger children, boy and girl twins, are preparing for high school graduation, their quiet lives are interrupted by the arrival of a famous actress Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) who is there to research her role as Gracie in an upcoming movie about their infamous past. Hoping the film will put them in the best possible light, Gracie and Joe welcome Elizabeth into their home.

While Gracie is gracious and Elizabeth is polite, the two women have differing agendas: Gracie to keep the perfect surface her family presents to the world intact while Elizabeth gently tries to pry open any secrets hidden there. You know there must be some, which sets off a tense tango of conflicting purposes between the two women.

While some have called MAY DECEMBER a comedy, the overall tone of the film is tension and mystery, as the melodrama unfolds. As Elizabeth looks for ways to gain insights on the real Gracie and hidden details of the past, Gracie spackles over any cracks in the flawless facade they couple present to all.

There are plenty of hints of secrets and juicy tidbits but MAY DECEMBER actually promises more than it delivers on that end. What is does deliver, however, is a nice femme-centric battle of wills story. MAY DECEMBER sets up a tense pas-de-deux duel between these dual female leads, played brilliantly by Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, in this femme-centric story.

The duel between the two women has Portman and Moore playing off each other in a cat-and-mouse dance that is the film’s chief delight, particularly for those who are less enamored by Haynes’ overblown stylistic flourishes.

Still, fans of Todd Haynes’s films will find lots to please them, with dramatic twists (although what is revealed is no surprise) and swelling music to accompany them, and plenty of gossipy details in supporting characters, like Gracie’s ex-husband and children from her previous marriage, and particularly her troubled grown son. Repeatedly we are reminded that the actress Elizabeth, who will play the young Gracie, is closer in age to Joe now, as are Gracie’s grown children, and at times, Joe seems more like one of the kids as well. Gracie is by turns steely and in control, and little-girlish, particularly with Joe. Joe is opaque at first, a rock of reliability and maturity, but as Elizabeth searches for ways around Gracie’s walls, cracks in his front show up.

Not surprisingly, the film’s best scenes are between Julianne Moore and Natalie Portman, as they maintain a polite surface relationship while jockeying for position and advantage to achieve their own goals. Scenes reveal neither woman to be as nice as they want people to believe, to be cunning players in this game, and in some ways more alike than either wants to think they are. Portman in particular shines in her role, showing a darker side as the complex Elizabeth than we usually see. Both characters are capable of a certain ruthlessness to get what they want, which gives their scenes together a special chill.

MAY DECEMBER serves up a Todd Haynes soapy treat for his fans, and a wonderful acting pas-de-deux between Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore.

MAY DECEMBER opens Friday, Nov. 17, in theaters.

RATING: 2 out of 4 stars

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND – Review

This past year we’ve seen several very entertaining documentary features set in the world of music, particularly SUMMER OF SOUL. Another lauded film was the profile of the rock band Sparks, titled simply THE SPARKS BROTHERS, which set itself apart from many doc features in that it was helmed by a director who’s mainly known for fiction films, Edgar Wright. Now another similar director enters the fray, Todd Haynes, who last told the story of corporate polluters in the “based on real events” drama DARK WATERS. He’s the force behind the new film that chronicles the history of a most influential band that merged rock and roll with the avant-garde, a group of acclaimed musical talents known as THE VELVET UNDERGROUND.

This story begins, oddly enough, with a grainy kinescope of the CBS TV game show staple, “I’ve Got a Secret’. The audience titters when told of the “secret”: pianist John Cale played an 18-hour concert (he was joined by the only attendee that stuck it out). We’re then plunged into the changing cultural landscape of the 1960s as Cale meets an intense young poet/guitarist named Lou Reed. They became a fixture of the hip, young New York scene as The Primitives which included Sterling Morrison. Eventually Maureen (Moe) Tucker came aboard as the band’s drummer as they decided on the new moniker, The Velvet Underground. Despite the personality clashes and indulgencies (including heroin), their dark-themed songs caught the attention of art icon Andy Warhol who made them the “house band” for his “factory”. Eventually, he would manage the band in 1966 and soon he would pair them with the exotic actress/model Nico for a series of live shows and record albums. After the exit of Nico, the band finally broke with Warhol, who made their shows a full media “happening’ with projected film and slides. VU continued to make music through the 60s until 1973, a couple of years after Reed left to embark on a lauded solo career.

Those hoping for an involving introduction to the iconic group will be dumbstruck for the sensory overload orchestrated by Haynes. After the game show epilogue, he fills the screen with multiple images, often distracting from the music snippets and the more recent interview subjects. As he presents the original band members, 2/3 of the screen is taken up by a “locked-down” headshot from the Warhol factory with each musician trying not to blink while assorted archival stills and news footage flash by in countless boxes (one sequence looks like the Brady Bunch opening titles times six). Sure, we hear from surviving members of the VU, along with family members and old pals of those departed, but they’re generic talking heads as the ever-changing “slide show” numbs us. There are also a few celebs like Jonathan Richmond, Jackson Browne, and Warhol “superstar” Mary Woronov (who joins Moe in a rant against those “hippie flower kids”), but they don’t truly enlighten or illuminate. Oh, and those Warhol unflinching static shot close-ups haven’t become more charming with age. The group seems worthy of an engrossing cinematic recollection but this visually erratic and haphazardly cut fever dream from Haynes will not add many new fans for THE VELVET UNDERGROUND. Now, where’s the Dramamine?

1 Out of 4

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas and begins streaming on Apple TV + on October 15, 2021

Todd Haynes’ THE VELVET UNDERGROUND Opens in St. Louis at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac and Premieres Globally on Apple TV October 15th

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND will open at the Landmark Plaza Frontenac and premiere globally on Apple TV+ on October 15, 2021. Here’s the trailer:

The Velvet Underground created a new sound that changed the world of music, cementing its place as one of rock ’n’ roll’s most revered bands. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Todd Haynes, “The Velvet Underground” shows just how the group became a cultural touchstone representing a range of contradictions: the band is both of their time, yet timeless; literary yet realistic; rooted in high art and street culture.

The film features in-depth interviews with the key players of that time combined with a treasure trove of never-before-seen performances and a rich collection of recordings, Warhol films, and other experimental art that creates an immersive experience into what founding member John Cale describes as the band’s creative ethos: “how to be elegant and how to be brutal.”

Apple TV+ offers premium, compelling drama and comedy series, feature films, groundbreaking documentaries, and kids and family entertainment, and is available to watch across all your favorite screens. After its launch on November 1, 2019, Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service in its debut. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries, and series have been honored with 133 wins and 515 awards nominations.

Apple TV+ is available on the Apple TV app in over 100 countries and regions, on over 1 billion screens, including iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, popular smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, VIZIO, TCL and others, Roku and Amazon Fire TV devices, Chromecast with Google TV, PlayStation and Xbox gaming consoles, and at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

DARK WATERS (2019) – Review

Summer’s not the only season where heroes rule the multiplex. Well, that’s the main time for the fictional, larger than life heroes, the super spies, super cops, and, well, superheroes. But after Fall began the real-life heroes started to arrive, usually the subject of the big end of the year awards contenders. First to make her mark was Harriet Tubman in her inspiring biographical slice of history. Then there were the countless military men and women, from generals to sailors (and their wives) in MIDWAY. As we near the major holidays, we’ve seen more recent heroes, like Dan Jones played by Adam Driver in THE REPORT. Now comes a crusader from a profession generally derided and scorned by the public (especially in this weekend’s MARRIAGE STORY), a lawyer. Ah, but he’s got the spirit of an Avenger, apropos since he’s played by one of the original sextet. But rather than facing off against a scaly beast, he stands his ground against a near-invincible corporate behemoth. And to think this decades-long battle began with a tiny vial filled with deadly DARK WATERS.

After a foreboding flashback (it could’ve been lifted from any of the late 70’s “slash n’ hack” teen flicks), we meet an unassuming corporate lawyer named Robert Bilott (Mark Ruffalo), a briefcase-carrying cog in a Cincinnati legal firm. One day, the receptionist pulls him out of a big meeting because a farmer friend of his West Virginia-based grandma, Wilbur Tennant (Bill Camp), has made the trip to the city (seems Robert wasn’t returning his calls fast enough). Tennant believes that the nearby DuPont factory is poisoning his crops and livestock (they maintain a landfill in his brother’s former property), and leaves lots of photos and samples (soil and water) as proof. But this seems out of Bilott’s expertise since he ‘s usually defending big companies. After consulting his wife, Sarah (Anne Hathaway), a lawyer now taking care of him and their kids at home, Robert makes the trek to Parkersburg, West Virginia, and the Tennant farm. There he’s shocked by the multitude of cattle graves, along with the strange behavior of the remaining farm animals, and the diseased cattle organs kept in the freezer. After some persuasion, Robert’s boss, senior partner Tom (Tim Robbins) gives the okay to formally request files and records from DuPont. After much stalling, the boxes finally arrive. And keep on (and on) arriving until Robert is nearly buried in undecipherable paperwork. Can he fight the chemical company with bottomless pockets, along with the “push-back” from his colleagues who believe this litigation will turn away other big business clients, and prove, without a doubt, that they were, indeed, knowingly poisoning the little town and its residents, and perhaps everyone in the world who has used their “product”?

Ruffalo is far from the muscular green goliath, the Hulk, as this very down to Earth seeker of truth (he could’ve used those Gamma-ray biceps in lifting all those research boxes). Like his role in SPOTLIGHT, he tries to “blend in”, and not call attention to himself. This makes the sequence on the farm even more powerful as Robert gets “woke” and summons his courage to charge at the chemical “dragon”. But resolve takes its toll, and Ruffalo shows it in his body language, “slumping” down and taking heavy steps, that this mission is a long one. Particularly in the film’s last act, the exhaustion makes him more withdrawn as it literally chips away at his health and marriage. He seems to only be energized by paranoia, especially in one taut sequence in a parking garage (nearly always a place of movie doom, like those 24-hour desert gas stations) as he hesitates to turn that key (much like a similar scene recently in THE IRISHMAN). Ruffalo is ably supported by Hathaway who turns the typical “working wife at home” character into a gutsy partner, summoning her inner “She-Hulk” when confronting Tom after a health crisis. He, as played by the terrific Robbins, is an original take on the powerful, but often aloof, supervisor. In his first scenes with Robert, Tom is the “bottom-line” guy, questioning his motives and evidence. Then comes the big boardroom showdown, as he watches his co-workers and partners “dog pile” Robert, Robbins becomes a protective lion, surprising the other lawyers while delighting and stunning all who thought they knew this man. Camp is a growling pit bull as Tenant, who may not have the “book smarts” but will defend his home with his last breath. Also of note is usual film and TV “nice guy” Victor Garber as the affable DuPont exec who abruptly morphs into a hissing, spitting cobra when approached by Robert at a fancy function. Plus we get great work from Bill Pullman as the folksy, “low key” with lightning instincts (think Atticus Finch and Matlock) hometown lawyer, and Mare Winningham (been a long time, former “brat-packer”) as the local housewife who may have suffered the biggest loss, one sadly shared by many of the village residents.

This film also marks a big change, or maybe “out of his comfort zone”, for director Todd Haynes, whose resume’ has included several lush, retro-inspired romances like CAROL and FAR FROM HEAVEN. He’s knee-deep (literally) in grim and gritty down-home drama where truly horrible things happen to good “salt of the Earth” people. Sure, there are moments of hope, but Haynes also delivers a couple of scenes of nail-biting terror. Aside from the aforementioned garage sequence, there’s an eerie early moment when Robert gets a too close for comfort look at the crime when delirious bovine staggers out. Whether it was puppetry or CGI, or a combination, this was one of the scariest sequences of the film year. Kudos also to the script by Matthew Michael Carnahan and Mario Correa based on the New York Times article by Nathaniel Rich, “The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare” for never condescending to the farm folk (Tenant has a hard-shelled dignity), and for presenting a real married couple who are true partners. Many may think this story to be a male spin on ERIN BROCKOVICH, but there’s no zany outfits (Ruffalo does rock a dark three-piece-suit) or romantic subplots or lovable ole’ bosses. It is dark, often in the extreme as it’s hard to make out the action even in the fluorescent-lit offices. And the pace loses some of its momentum as it inches towards a densely packed resolution montage. But these are minor quibbles as it delivers a message that is echoed in the current news cycle. While many deride the truth-seekers as unpatriotic and even criminal, this work reminds us that honesty still matters, and “blowing the whistle” on evil is truly noble. The world could use a lot more people like the Bilotts. And the multiplex can stand to have a few more inspiring docudramas like DARK WATERS.

3.5 Out of 4

DARK WATERS opens everywhere and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas

WONDERSTRUCK – Review

***Millicent Simmonds as Rose in WONDERSTRUCK. Photo credit: Myles Aronowitz. Courtesy of Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions ©***

WONDERSTRUCK is a beautiful clockwork creation filled with intricate, delicate details, but a film where the parts are greater than the sum of the whole. Like an elaborate cuckoo clock or a old-fashioned doll’s house, it is packed to the roof with little flourishes and charmingly magical images that matter more than the story they are decorating.

Director Todd Haynes’ mystery/drama is divided into two stories of runaway children on a quest, one set in the 1920s and the other in the 1970s, but both taking place in New York and often in the same locations. In this adaptation of Brian Selznick’s young adult novel, the two children have their own mysteries to solve but the additional mystery is what links their two stories besides location. Brian Selznick, who also wrote this screenplay, wrote the novel that was the basis of Martin Scorsese’s film HUGO, and this story also has a little of the same child’s magical-world feel and sense of wonder.

The 1920s story, presented as a black-and-white silent movie, tells the story of Rose (Millicent Simmons), a 12-year-old deaf girl who seems obsessed with a famous silent movie star Lillian Mayhew (Julianne Moore), pasting clippings about her from fan magazines into a scrapbook. After a confrontation with her stern father (James Urbaniak), Rose runs away from her comfortable but confining suburban New Jersey home to look for the actress in New York, where she is starring in a play at a Manhattan theater. In the 1970s story, ten-year-old Ben (Oakes Fegley) runs away from his rural Minnesota home after the death of his mother (Michelle Williams) and following a freak accident that left him deaf, in search of the father he never knew, a quest that also takes him to New York.

The film alternates between the two children’s journeys, which have several parallels. Both Rose and Ben are lonely and are dreamers seeking something more in their lives. Each child’s search takes them to some of the same Manhattan locations, particularly the American Museum of Natural History. Both characters are deaf but neither knows sign language, so navigating the city alone is particularly fraught, yet both find allies along the way. The parallel stories also both touch on bits of New York history in their time periods.

The silent 1920s story is the stronger of the two by far, thanks in large part to the performance of Millicent Simmons, who is herself deaf, as the spunky Rose. Simmons has remarkable screen presence and has no trouble transmitting critical information visually, through small gestures, posture, expression or even a glance. She conveys a mix of touching lonesomeness, sweetness and determination that is irresistible. Haynes shows impressive skill in silent movie visual storytelling, conveying ideas, feelings and plot points clearly without excessive title cards.

The 1970s story is less effective and less polished as storytelling, although it does a good job of capturing both the gritty feel of New York in the ’70s and the charm of an old corner bookstore. Oakes Fegley does a good job with his role as Ben but the plot is far more clunky in the 1970s story. The plot is packed with details and seemingly-meaningful iconography (paper boats, Ziggy Stardust, shooting stars) that ultimately lead nowhere. Several scenes, particularly between him and Jaden Michael as a boy who befriends him, seem contrived and force the young actors into unconvincing dialog and moments that do not feel true. The fault is not in the young actors but an awkward script and direction that seems more intent on hurrying along to the next visual wonder.

A story featuring deaf children is a welcome thing. The film does offer a bit of history and some advocacy for the deaf. The stronger 1920s silent movie story highlights how deaf people were treated in an earlier era, shut off from society and isolated, even in an affluent family like Rose’s. The film also touches on the fight for advances like the transition from lip-reading to the use of sign-language, and continues that thread into the story that takes place 50 years later, showing changes in the lives of deaf people.

As worthy as that is, the plot of the stories themselves are not the strongest (although the 1920s story is much better than the overstuffed, less-believable 1970s story) and the mysteries they pose are not very hard to figure out. But it does not matter much, as the plots mostly exist as a vehicle for a little focus on the deaf, and as an excuse to explore little historical tidbits and to immerse the audience in the time periods.

The major appeal of WONDERSTUCK is likely its intricate, delicate beauty, the studiously accurate period recreations and all the lavish little historic details embedded in the beautifully photographed images. Story definitely takes a backseat in this very pretty film, filled with a history buff’s banquet of near-forgotten bits of New York history. Among the historic delights are a museum exhibition on the pre-cursor to museums, the cabinet of curiosities, displayed at the American Museum of Natural History, a room-filling model of Manhattan created for a World’s Fair and preserved in the 1970s, and even the 1970s blackout.

There is a precious, doll-house feel to much of the movie, as lovely as it is and as worthy as the social commentary is. Haynes seems to be reaching for Wes Anderson charm and whimsy but doesn’t quite achieve it. Still, it is lovely to look at, and the little bits of history are delightful.

WONDERSTRUCK offers a myriad of visual delights and a complete immersion in two time periods, but it is more a tour of wondrous sights than great storytelling.

RATING: 3 out of 5 stars

First Look At Todd Haynes’ WONDERSTRUCK

Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions have released a first poster and new footage for their upcoming film, WONDERSTRUCK.

Directed by Todd Haynes, the movie will have its world premiere in the Official Competition of the 70th Cannes Film Festival.

Starring Oakes Fegley, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams and introducing Millicent Simmonds, watch the first look from the film now.

Based on Brian Selznick’s critically acclaimed novel Ben and Rose are children from two different eras who secretly wish their lives were different. Ben longs for the father he has never known, while Rose dreams of a mysterious actress whose life she chronicles in a scrapbook.

When Ben discovers a puzzling clue in his home and Rose reads an enticing headline in the newspaper, both children set out on quests to find what they are missing that unfold with mesmerizing symmetry.

Haynes was at Cannes some two years ago with his magnificent film CAROL.

Rated PG

Amazon Studios and Roadside Attractions will release WONDERSTRUCK in theaters October 20, 2017.

Connect on Twitter: @wonderstruckmov

Win Passes To The Advance Screening Of CAROL In St. Louis

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York.

As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.

A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.

CAROL is directed by Todd Haynes and written by Phyllis Nagy with moving performances from Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith.

One the best movies of 2015, CAROL opens in St. Louis on December 25th.

WAMG invites you to enter for a chance to win a pass (Good for 2) to the advance screening of CAROL on Tuesday, December 22 at 7PM in the St. Louis area.

We will contact the winners by email.

Answer the following:

The film stars Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett. Who won the Academy Award for Best Actress at the 87th Oscars?

TO ENTER, ADD YOUR NAME, ANSWER AND EMAIL IN OUR COMMENTS SECTION BELOW.

OFFICIAL RULES:

1. YOU MUST BE IN THE ST. LOUIS AREA THE DAY OF THE SCREENING.

2. A pass does not guarantee a seat at a screening. Seating is on a first-come, first served basis. The theater is overbooked to assure a full house. The theater is not responsible for overbooking.

3. No purchase necessary.

The film is rated R.

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New Poster And Clip Released For Todd Haynes’ CAROL

The Weinstein Company has released a new poster and clip and for their upcoming film, CAROL, starring Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith.

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York.

As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage.

As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.

CAROL is directed by Todd Haynes and written by Phyllis Nagy.

Varèse Sarabande will release the CAROL – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, available digitally and on CD November 20, 2015. The album features the original music composed by Carter Burwell. Pre-order the CD here.

The Weinstein Company will release CAROL in theaters November 20, 2015.

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Composer Carter Burwell’s CAROL Soundtrack Available November 20

Varèse Sarabande will release the CAROL – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, available digitally and on CD November 20, 2015.

The album features the original music composed by Carter Burwell (MR. HOLMES, FARGO) whose long-standing relationship with the label includes his soundtracks for RAISING ARIZONA, MILLER’S CROSSING, THE HUDSUCKER PROXY, and MILDRED PIERCE.

“There is no widely accepted explanation for the importance of music to humans, but one possibility is its ability to express and relieve emotional tensions that can’t be put into words,” explained Burwell. “In Carol, two women are romantically attracted to each other but the culture of 1950’s America hasn’t provided them with a language for this. Expressing these inexpressible feelings is one of the roles of the score in this film.”

Set in 1950s New York, two women from very different backgrounds find themselves in the throes of love in CAROL. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.

“There are three main themes in the score,” Burwell described. “The music over the opening city scene plays the active engagement and passion of Carol and Therèse. In this scene it’s telling you something about the characters before you ever see them, since they appear for the first time around the last note, but eventually this will become their love theme.”

“There is also a theme for Therèse’s fascination with Carol, first played as Carol drives Therèse to her house,” Burwell continued. “This is basically a cloud of piano notes, not unlike the clouded glass through which Todd Haynes and Ed Lachman occasionally shoot the characters. This piano texture required a little studio magic so the left and right hands of the piano could be processed separately – the left disappearing into a cloud and the right still distinct enough to carry a melody.

While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) threatens her competence as a mother when Carol’s involvement with Therèse and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) comes to light. As Carol leaves the comfort of home to travel with Therese, an internal journey of self-discovery coincides with her new sense of space.

“The third theme is about absence and loss. Its fullest expression is the montage after Carol leaves Therèse and tries to explain herself in a letter,” said Burwell. “It’s the best example of the use of open intervals such as the fourth, fifth and ninth, to veil sentiment. The hearts of both women are broken, but rather than play the pain the music plays the emptiness.”

©2015 The Weinstein Company. All rights reserved

Burwell most recently wrote the music for the mystery drama MR. HOLMES starring Ian McKellen directed by Bill Condon, the true crime thriller LEGEND directed by Brian Helgeland opening October 2. CAROL marks Burwell’s third collaboration with Todd Haynes having previously worked together on VELVET GOLDMINE and HBO’s mini-series MILDRED PIERCE starring Kate Winslet in which Burwell was nominated for two Emmy Awards, winning for his work in the category of Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or Special (Original Dramatic Score).

Other upcoming film projects for Burwell include Charlie Kaufman’s first-stop motion film ANOMALISA, the ocean thriller THE FINEST HOURS starring Chris Pine and Casey Affleck directed by Craig Gillespie, the Nicole Kidman-Jason Bateman drama THE FAMILY FANG, and HAIL, CAESAR! written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen.

Pre-order the CD here.

The Weinstein Company will release CAROL in theaters November 20, 2015.

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Watch The Trailer For Oscar Hopeful CAROL Starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara

The first trailer has arrived for CAROL.

Directed by Todd Haynes and written by Phyllis Nagy, the movie features Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith.

A huge hit at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival in May, Rooney shared the Best Actress award with Emmanuelle Bercot (Mon Roi). In his review, Tim Robey (Telegraph) wrote the film is, “a career-best performance from Cate Blanchett.” The Oscar-winning actress “leaps over her own highest standards with a subtlety that’s little short of phenomenal.”

It was announced today that CAROL will have its Gala premiere at the 59th BFI London Film Festival on October 14. and opens in U.S. theaters on November 20; in U.K. cinemas on November 27.

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.

As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens.

While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light.

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