Cate Blanchett plays a lesbian housewife in a marriage of convenience. She meets a store clerk (Rooney Mara) and a relationship slowly develops.Set the story in the conservative 50s and things get even more complex. Both women superbly capture their characters: Blanchett is seductively alluring and richly conflicted, while Mara displays an innocence and longing that’s rich yet subtle. Director Todd Haynes has beautifully crafted a period world, while masterfully capturing the longing and frustration of their relationship. The entire mood is genteel and subdued, but the film is thoroughly compelling.

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