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This romantic drama that makes me swoon every time is leaving Netflix soon — catch it before it’s gone
Given the sheer size and scope of Netflix’s catalogue, the popular streaming service changes up its selection of TV series and films frequently, which means that you always have something new to watch — but also that some of our favorites unfortunately have to leave the platform to make room.
That’s the case with this month, which will see one of the best LGBTQ+ romances of the past decade sadly saying farewell to the streamer: “Carol,” the 2015 historical romantic drama directed by Todd Haynes and starring Cate Blanchett and Roonie Mara, will leave Netflix on Tuesday, June 17.
But before it goes, you should add the emotional, sumptuous queer movie — centered on a forbidden affair between an aspiring female photographer and an older woman going through a difficult divorce — to your next watch list, especially since Pride Month is quickly passing by. If you need even more convincing, find out more about the acclaimed drama below.
What is ‘Carol’ about?
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Based on the 1952 romance novel “The Price of Salt” by Patricia Highsmith and set over the Christmas season, “Carol” sees Rooney Mara play Therese Belivet, an aspiring photographer who is working in Frankenberg’s department store in Manhattan when she encounters a glamorous older woman named Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett), who is searching for a doll for her daughter.
When Carol leaves behind a glove on the counter, Therese mails it back to her using her name and address on file at the store. That fateful meeting, though, turns into something more when Carol calls Frankenberg’s to thank Therese for returning her glove and to invite her to lunch.
Their relationship grows over charged trips to Carol’s home in New Jersey and clandestine meetings in New York but is complicated by the fact that Carol is in the midst of a divorce from her husband Harge (Kyle Chandler), who is threatening to expose her homosexuality publicly so he could gain full custody of their daughter.
Why should you watch ‘Carol’ on Netflix?
Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Actress for Blanchett, “Carol” was widely lauded by awards bodies and professional critics alike. On Rotten Tomatoes, the drama boasts an excellent 94% rating and was the best-reviewed romance film of all of 2015 in the site’s annual Golden Tomato Awards.
Aided by Haynes’ deliberate pacing, the two extraordinary lead actresses offer a heart-stopping portrait of romantic desire, built by careful gestures and stolen glances, two women navigating a world that isn’t the most understanding about their sex or their sexuality.
For the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan wrote that their love affair is “a serious melodrama about the geometry of desire, a dreamy example of heightened reality that fully engages emotions despite the exact calculations with which it’s been made… “Carol’s” lush but controlled visual look is completely intoxicating. This is filmmaking done by masters, an experience to savor.”
One watch, and you’ll fall in love with “Carol,” too.
Watch “Carol” on Netflix now
