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Cate Blanchett headlines as the title character in this Todd Haynes (Safe, Far from Heaven) adaptation of a Patricia Highsmith novel. She’s perfect in the role, functioning as the beguiling older woman who catches the curious fancy of a younger woman, played by Rooney Mara. Their cautious, burgeoning relationship is the focus of the film, one under distressing scrutiny from boyfriend and husband characters who threaten to restrain and cage the women’s natural instincts and feelings. It’s an engaging look at what a lesbian relationship might have looked like back in the 1950’s. Haynes is a director who knows how use staging and framing to enhance the story’s psychological underpinnings, and he hires the best artisans around to help him with the mise-en-scene, including cinematographer Edward Lachman (who goes for a grainy, 16mm look here) and composer Carter Burwell. It’s a gorgeously crafted film with fine performances, and one that reminds us what some people have to sacrifice for their confessions of love. With Sarah Paulson and Kyle Chandler.

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress (Cate Blanchett), Best Supporting Actress (Rooney Mara), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Original Score (Carter Burwell)