'Carol" is a wondrously beautiful piece of filmmaking by American director Todd Haynes. Set in New York during the 1950s — when homosexuality was viewed as a disease on par with leprosy — the film reminds us of the incredible freedom allowed in romantic relationships these days.

"Carol" tells the story of a passionate affair between department store clerk Therese (Rooney Mara) and older socialite Carol (Cate Blanchett), who is in the midst of a messy divorce. In order to be together, the pair must pretend they're just casual friends hanging out, despite the difference in age and social status. The chemistry between Mara and Blanchett is palpable — Carol is the practiced seductress, but Therese has impetuous youth as an advantage. Together, they create an on-screen relationship that combines the thrills of a clandestine affair with the subtle power struggle of two lovers vying for each others attention and adoration. This isn't so much a lesbian love story (for lack of a better description) but a tale about two people who are consumed by an enormous need to be together. They just both happen to be women. The way Mara and Blanchett lock gazes across a crowded room is worth the ticket price alone.

Haynes has a flair for depicting women trapped in the seemingly "perfect" marriage. His groundbreaking 2002 film, "Far From Heaven," showed Julianne Moore playing an affluent suburban housewife grappling with the realities of her husband's homosexuality. And in the 1995 drama "Safe," Moore — again playing a suburban homemaker — suddenly becomes hypersensitive to chemicals.