“Carol” fits the mold of director Todd Haynes‘ extraordinary work, in that it calls to mind other great films (“Brief Encounter,” “Brokeback Mountain,” even Haynes’ own “Far From Heaven”) while standing alone as its own unique creation.
In the tradition of cineaste auteurs as far-ranging as Scorsese, Tarantino and Almodóvar, Haynes draws on a deep well of film knowledge.
But he filters it through his own sensibility, whether he’s exploring his pop culture obsessions (Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There,” Karen Carpenter in “Superstar”) or bringing a queer perspective to eras when such stories were never told on the big screen.