The first official teaser trailer has been released for Carol, writer Phyllis Nagy’s adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s lesbian romance novel The Price Of Salt, published under a pseudonym in 1952. Directed by Todd Haynes, Carol, which premiered at Cannes earlier this year, is set in the winter of 1952 and stars Rooney Mara as aspiring photographer Therese Belivet, who works as a department store clerk in Manhattan. A few days before Christmas, Therese meets Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett), an older married woman from a wealthy New Jersey suburb. They fall in love and have to carefully navigate the forbidden nature of their relationship.
Blanchett and Mara only speak in the first seconds of the trailer, as their characters introduce themselves to each other for the first time. From there, it’s all stolen glances and brief touches. Their courtship happens in whispers and low lighting. The trailer crushes with little more than quick, beautiful shots of Blanchett and Mara, all set to “My Foolish Heart.”
Kyle Chandler, Carrie Brownstein, and Sarah Paulson also star in the film. Mara tied with Emmanuelle Bercot for the Best Actress award at Cannes for her performance in Carol, the first time Haynes—whose previous work includes I’m Not There and the miniseries Mildred Pierce—is directing from someone else’s script. The movie, which has been in development for over a decade, finally opens in theaters on November 20.