The first trailer for Far From Heaven and Mildred Pierce director Todd Haynes’ highly anticipated new drama Carol has landed online. Based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt, the film takes place in 1950s New York and revolves around two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair. Rooney Mara plays Therese Belivet, a young woman in her 20s working in a department store who dreams of a more fulfilling life, and Cate Blanchett is Carol, an alluring women trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage.

Carol drew highly positive notices from its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, and looking at this international teaser trailer it’s not hard to see why. This gorgeous first look evokes the spark of romance while also hinting at the tension that lies beneath the surface of this new friendship. And this being Todd Haynes and all, I’m already bracing for the emotional devastation.

Watch the first trailer below, via Studiocanal UK. The film also stars Kyle Chandler, Sarah Paulson, Jake Lacy, and Cory Michael Smith. Carol opens in theaters on November 20th.


Here’s the official synopsis for Carol:

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s seminal novel The Price of Salt, CAROL follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change. A young woman in her 20s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara), is a clerk working in a Manhattan department store and dreaming of a more fulfilling life when she meets Carol (Cate Blanchett), an alluring woman trapped in a loveless, convenient marriage. As an immediate connection sparks between them, the innocence of their first encounter dims and their connection deepens. While Carol breaks free from the confines of marriage, her husband (Kyle Chandler) begins to question her competence as a mother as her involvement with Therese and close relationship with her best friend Abby (Sarah Paulson) come to light. Carol is directed by Todd Haynes and written by Phyllis Nagy with moving performances from Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson, Kyle Chandler, Jake Lacy and Cory Michael Smith.

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Image via The Weinstein Company