Why you need to watch ‘Carol’ before it leaves Netflix
It’s not easy to keep up with Netflix. One minute, it is a source of anticipation with its never-ending content lineup. But the very next minute, you find teary subscribers bidding farewell to beloved titles. Though it is a streaming way of life, the paradox is undeniable. Almost every week, the red alerts on Netflix remind us to make the most of a project’s existence on the streamer. However, today, we are here to give you plenty of reasons why Carol should be on your to-do list before the OTT platform waves goodbye.
Many fan-favourite projects are counting their days on Netflix, and one among them is Carol (2015). The flick is scheduled to leave the streaming giant on June 17th, 2025. Carol is a historical romantic drama film based on Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel, The Price of Salt. And considering we are nearly halfway through Pride Month, you might not find a better romantic film to celebrate love, devoid of labels, conventions, and confinements.
Directed by Todd Haynes and set in 1950s New York, Carol takes place during Christmas in 1952. The film follows an aspiring photographer, Therese Belivet, portrayed by Rooney Mara, who meets Carol Aird, played by Cate Blanchett, in Frankenberg’s department store in Manhattan, where the former works. However, during a purchase for Carol’s daughter, she leaves her gloves on the counter. Therese mails the gloves, and in a gesture of thanks, Carol invites her to lunch.
Relationship-wise, Carol goes through a messy divorce while Therese remains unsure whether she should accompany her boyfriend, Richard, to France. But ahead of Christmas, Carol invites Therese and makes a pit stop to purchase a Christmas tree, where the latter clicks pictures of her. In an unexpected plot twist, Harge, Carol’s husband, arrives to take Rindy to Florida for Christmas, but during his visit, he grows suspicious of Carol, who had an affair with her friend Abby years ago.
Therese witnesses the verbal fireworks between the former pair, and Carol eventually helps Therese board a train. When they meet next time, Carol apologises with a Canon camera present for Therese. Meanwhile, she finds out her husband has petitioned the judge to consider a “morality clause,” threatening to expose her true orientation to get the full custody of Rindy. On Therese’s side of the relationship, Richard too grows suspicious of the relationship she shares with Carol.
Between all of this, Carol and Therese take a trip, and on the second day, the latter encounters a travelling salesman, Tommy Tucker, who later turns out to be a private investigator hired by Harge. Though they take their relationship to the next level on New Year’s Eve, oblivious of the eyes that are on them, Carol and Therese soon find out the truth. Both return to Chicago, and Therese tries to communicate, but Carol holds herself back, knowing it will slim the chances of her winning Rindy’s custody.
But during a meeting with divorce lawyers, Carol unexpectedly confesses about her sexuality. She convinces Harge to allow her regular visits to Rindy, and eventually, Carol and Therese reunite. When offered the proposal to live with her, Therese declines. While their relationship may have started with denials, Therese still struggles. However, that’s only until she is part of a party where she feels like a misfit. They end up with each other, and the film breaks every stereotypical boundary of what it means to love.
It begins with several forks stuck in a road to their love story. Not to forget, the timeline was not exactly forgiving, especially for a mother who had been in a heterosexual marriage. However, by the conclusion, both pluck them off to reach their destiny, no matter the blood stains. Though it might be just another story to many, it could be easily someone’s reality. Carol was the best-reviewed film of the year, grossing a staggering $42.5m against a $11.8m budget. The film was nominated for six Academy Awards, nine BAFTA Awards, and five Golden Globes. Carol, to date, is uncomfortably close to home, yet beautifully told.