Is Todd Haynes s 2015 Film Carol Essay - 2231 Words

In light of the recent election putting a man with questionable morality in the powerful seat of President, many in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community are fearful of the repercussions this will cause. According to the Southern Poverty Law Center, â€Å"867 cases of hateful harassment or intimidation [were reported] in the United States in the 10 days after the November 8 election†, and swastikas adorned people’s cars and homes in angry graffiti, accompanying words such as â€Å"white power† and â€Å"fag†, â€Å"he she† and â€Å"die† (Yan). While the American legal system has come a long way in granting the homosexual community their natural rights, the present climate gives many a fear that things will go back to the way they were before, with homosexuals being oppressed and persecuted for simply loving who they love. One film that looks back upon the American repression of homosexuality is Todd Haynes s 2015 film Carol, a 1950’s period piece telling the tale of two lesbian lovers who face many conflicts on the path of being together. Therese, a worker at a department store in Manhattan known as Frankenburg’s, meets a mysterious woman, Carol Aird, when she is shopping for a Christmas present for her daughter. Currently going through a nasty divorce from her husband, Harge, Carol is threatened with having her daughter ripped away from her. Harge’s lawyer cites a â€Å"morality clause† that would take parental rights away from Carol because she is homosexual. Therese also faces herShow MoreRelatedSexuality In Carol As Portrayed Through Mise-En-Scene And Cinematography1769 Words   |  8 PagesSexuality in Carol as Portrayed through Mise-en-Scà ¨ne and Cinematography In Todd Haynes’s Carol (2015), silver bells and tinsel cover the walls and shelves of Frankeberg’s department store in the scene where main characters Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara) first meet. Through swarms of busstling holiday shoppers, Therese’s timid gaze lands on Carol - a strikingly beautiful, sophisticated, and self assured woman. As Carol’s gaze meets Therese’s, viewers sense an undeniable attraction