WHAT CAROL TAUGHT US ABOUT SELF-VALUE
- mitoggy
- Jul 9, 2019
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 22, 2020
Carol (2015) is an empowering love story between two women of different worlds set in the 1950s in America, adapted from Patricia Highsmith's book The Price of Salt (1952) by Phyllis Nagy and directed by Todd Haynes.
The romantic drama has gained an impressive collection of nominations and awards, completely well-deserving for such a masterpiece. Besides the stunning production value, the consequential messages it conveyed about adulthood and love above all is what makes Carol an absolute must-watch.
1. Loneliness Is A Common Theme
From what we see of her, Therese Belivet gave the impression of a reserved young girl who kept to herself and had a hard time connecting to other people around her. Living alone in her apartment, she spent her time at work utterly detached and separated from co-workers because of their differences.
Indeed, this is not solely Therese’s experience, but something rather a large part of young people could relate to.
In the process of growing up and navigating life, more often than not one may find oneself surrounded with people, yet feeling completely isolated. As we begin to set up our own life, the feeling of temporary will become the main theme in most days: temporary work, temporary relationships, temporary places.
Therese felt overwhelmed, bored, lonely and alienated - a candid portrayal of young people trying to find their place in this world, as opposed to looking at the future through rose-colored glasses.
"What a strange girl you are. Flung out of space."
Carol has normalized this illustration of reality, and at the same time used this depiction as an example of a compromise we must make in order to come forward in life. There will be struggles, many moments of loneliness and feeling of being stranded as we learn to come into our own, and decide what life we want to lead.
They are not signs that we are doing things wrong or are pulling behind, but rather show that we are experiencing life at our own pace and style.
2. Love Pushes People To Become Better
We witness a great change in Therese’s personality and demeanor after she met the affluent, alluring older woman Carol Aird.
As it turned out, Therese had a passion for photography, although she believed her work was not good enough to pursue a serious career out of.
Carol became the first human subject to be captured through her lens, who had given her inspiration and courage to believe in her talent and follow her dreams instead of burying it deep down for fear of not being enough.
Unassertive and passive Therese in the beginning never had a firm opinion or the bravery to express it, as shown through her interactions with Richard, her supposed boyfriend who she acted apathetic about. Therese gave viewers the feeling that she was merely reacting to what others did or said around her, until she met the self-assured and domineering Carol who knew exactly who she was and what she wanted.
Even though their relationship was short-lived and ended unpleasantly, Therese has taken a positive influence from Carol and has grown immensely in her self-identity discovery. Her feelings for Carol has pushed her to grow out of her withdrawn shell and become sure and confident in herself, to be determined and conscious about her own life choices.
We saw Therese looking and feeling like a mature woman, stepping out of her comfort zone completely secure of herself and successfully achieved her dream.
3. Live True To Who You Are
Carol, on the other hand, went through a different journey of change through her relationship with Therese.
In the process of her divorce from her husband Harge, Carol struggled of obtaining her daughter Rindy’s custody because of a “clause of morality”- which pertained to her sexual orientation - and chose to run away on a road trip with Therese.
However, in the end, Carol had realized that running away was not a way of truly living, and she gave up Rindy’s custody because she could not afford to live her life pretending to be someone she was not.
Her choice doesn’t mean that she did not love her daughter, it was because she loved her:
“What use am I to her if I’m living against my own grain?”
First shaken and rejecting the claim, Carol later admitted to it and refused to conform to societal pressure and customs if it meant living a lie in front of her daughter.
The message this conveys is very significant and powerful: We cannot choose between different facets of our personhood, because they are the stones that build up the entirety of who we are as a person. The moment we let anything stand in the way of living true to our values and beliefs is when we have lost ourselves.
With such significant content and stunning visuals as well as an outstanding performance from the actors, specifically two main characters, it is no surprise Carol received remarkable scores from critics: 7.2/10 (IMDB), 95% (Metacritic) and 94% (Rotten Tomatoes) and generated nearly $43 million in the box office.
Carol is available on Itunes, Netflix and Amazon for anyone who hasn't got the chance to see the film (or want to indulge in rewatching it).
Watch the official trailer.
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