Wednesday’s rainy weather didn’t stop fans from lining the barriers to see the stars of **Carol **hit the red carpet. The eighth night of BFI’s London Film Festival welcomed Todd Haynes' adaptation of the 1952 romance novel by Patricia Highsmith,with screams for the film’s stars, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara,echoing around the red carpet.
Although it has taken nearly 15 years to come to life on the big screen, the film has always had Blanchett’s seal of approval. “As soon as I read the screenplay, I loved the story. It needed the right group of people around it to lift off and when Todd Haynes came on board as director and Rooney came, I thought, ‘This is going to be something special’.”
The story is told through the eyes of Therese Belivet (Mara), a 20-something store clerk and aspiring photographer who unexpectedly falls for Carol Aird (Blanchett), an older woman who’s having marital issues. Therese’s infatuation leads her to break up with her boyfriend in favour of taking a road trip with Carol, where they experience love, heartbreak and loss.
Set in the conservative era of 1950’s New York, the film explores the love that two women have for each other despite all odds. “The protagonists are not concerned about being gay,” explained screenwriter Phyllis Nagy on the red carpet. “They just are. It was quite a radical thing then and it still is. Love stories are timeless.”
Despite their characters being complete strangers at the beginning of the film, Blanchett explained how the chemistry between herself and Mara helped create the love that builds between Therese and Carol.
“I think we have a shared aesthetic and we’re quite no-nonsense about work but you can’t manufacture chemistry,” she said. “What we both loved playing was the longer scenes that the women get to have. There was this volcanic feeling that happens separately from one another. There are some exquisite silences.”
Blanchett was joined on the red carpet by Mara, director Todd Haynes, costume designer Sandy Powell and producers. The film also features Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith.
**Carol **will be released on November 27 in cinemas across the UK.
*Reporting by Anjali Mandalia, with thanks to Go Think Big and O2. For amazing work opportunities go to Go Think Big.co.uk. *