Private . . . and exquisite

DESIRE and decorum lie at the heart of Carol, a finely-crafted romance from director Todd Haynes about the forbidden love between two women in 1950s America. The film, adapted from Patricia Highsmith's 1952 novel The Price of Salt, explores the unlikely relationship between a sophisticated suburban housewife and an impressionable young department store clerk in an era when same-sex love was not condoned, much less acknowledged, by society at large.

Highsmith's semi-autobiographical novel was written under a pseudonym (Claire Morgan) and perceived at the time as scandalous if not downright shocking, but Haynes and screenwriter Phyllis Nagy capture the book's essence with a meticulous, multi-layered rendering that is articulate, sensitive and emotionally satisfying.

Of course, it doesn't hurt to have Cate Blanchett inhabiting the title role as mink-swathed Carol Aird - glamour personified and always the most beautiful woman in the room - who crosses paths with Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) one Christmas season in New York while looking for a gift for her young daughter. Somewhat unconventionally, Therese suggests a train set. A scene in the department store where their eyes lock across a crowded room sparks an unexpected turmoil in Therese, with just the hint of a response from Carol.