Carol

Play trailer

1:30

Carol

R

2016

1h 58m

Romance

Drama

LGBTQ+

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

94%

Tomatometer

324 Reviews

75%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

Aspiring photographer Therese spots the beautiful, elegant Carol perusing the doll displays in a 1950s Manhattan department store. The two women develop a fast bond that becomes a love with complicated consequences.

Watch on Fandango

Stream Now

Critics Consensus

Shaped by Todd Haynes' deft direction and powered by a strong cast led by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, Carol lives up to its groundbreaking source material.

Read Critics Reviews

Grace Manger

Bitch Media

Feb 9, 2021

A wonderful and all-too-rare film.

Go to Full Review

Heather Hogan

Autostraddle

Jun 26, 2018

It makes me wish the word "epic" hadn't been completely diluted so I could bring the full weight of its meaning to bear on this love story. Extraordinary? Singular? Remarkable? Yes, all of those things too.

Go to Full Review

Kristen Yoonsoo Kim

Complex

Feb 27, 2017

4.5/5

To call Carol a Christmas miracle feels like a gaudy understatement, but that's sort of exactly what it is.

Go to Full Review

Christos Tsiolkas

The Saturday Paper

Aug 19, 2026

Carol is such a good movie that it seems churlish to have the reservations that I do about it. But I do wonder if there is a perversity to Highsmith’s work that eludes Haynes’s talents.

Go to Full Review

John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

Jun 8, 2026

69/100

It’s difficult not to admire the artistry on display. Haynes creates a gorgeous period piece anchored by a strong performance from Cate Blanchett.

Go to Full Review

Mel Campbell

ScreenHub

Dec 29, 2025

Haynes’s swooningly meticulous 1950s period detail [is] an ideological frame these two women gaze past and through, like Therese through her camera’s viewfinder, so they can access the romantic intimacy of being in love at Christmas as their true selves.

Go to Full Review

Read all reviews

Abigail

Mar 15, 2026

This movie is just wonderful, acts of love that doesnt require too much talking is beautiful. Rooney is exceptional as Therese and Cate as Carol, perfect roles. A perfect holiday/vintage love movie. Love it.

See more

Daniela A

@Aviladp Oct 16, 2026

Tender and sexy. Awesome performance by the actresses. Realistic

See more

Jasmine W

@jasniquejewels Aug 31, 2026

this film left me feeling blue and wanting more of what they could’ve been in another universe I believe they would have been forever together I remember watching this for the first time during christmas last year will always love this remarkable piece of cinema thank you Todd Haynes.

See more

P I

@RT34943271 Jun 8, 2026

I liked the movie. The story is picture perfect as is it's characters. It however left me hoping to see a version of the story that isn't seen from a view of curious bystander but from the raw view of the characters going trough it. It almost felt like the still taboo subject got the best of it and it cast a shadow upon it from not reaching it's full potential from the fear of being too much for it's audience. I would have loved to see more human and more vunerable story. In hindsight the whole approach ia possibly not a reflection of being too cautious but rather the society's cast of making it appear that way. Hopefully that and not the need to please people.It's well composed movie and was well worth of my time.

See more

R T

@RT21057651 Apr 16, 2026

teen me shouldn't have been watching these kind of movies but kinda glad i watched it that young, wouldn't been so cultured today lol

See more

Krista H.

@86Kritta Mar 10, 2026

This movie is beautiful. It puts me in a certain kind of mood when I watch it that I’m not sure how to explain, but I enjoy how it feels. I also like the book.

See more

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

POST RATING

Todd Haynes

Director

Cate Blanchett

Carol Aird

Rooney Mara

Therese Belivet

Sarah Paulson

Abby Gerhard

Jake Lacy

Richard

John Magaro

Dannie

Disobedience

84%

75%

Disobedience

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Disobedience

My Days of Mercy

90%

71%

My Days of Mercy

Watchlist

Call Me by Your Name

95%

86%

Call Me by Your Name

Watchlist

My Policeman

45%

96%

My Policeman

Watchlist

TRAILER

for My Policeman

Holding Trevor

25%

30%

Holding Trevor

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

Carol: Trailer 2

1:30

Now Playing

Carol: B-Roll

12:21

Now Playing

Carol: Trailer 1

1:46

Now Playing

View more videos

View more photos

Synopsis

Aspiring photographer Therese spots the beautiful, elegant Carol perusing the doll displays in a 1950s Manhattan department store. The two women develop a fast bond that becomes a love with complicated consequences.

Director: Todd Haynes
Producer: Elizabeth Karlsen, Stephen Woolley, Christine Vachon
Screenwriter: Phyllis Nagy
Distributor: Weinstein Co.
Production Co: Killer Films, Larkhark Films Limited, Number 9 Films
Rating: R (Nudity|Brief Language|Scene of Sexuality)
Genre: Romance, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jan 8, 2016, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 8, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $12.7M
Runtime: 1h 58m

Join The Newsletter

Join The Newsletter

Cookie Settings