Films about love… in all its shades

Carol by Todd Haynes (2015)
118 min, USA, shot in film (16mm)

Set in the gloomy New York during the 50s, Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) an introverted aspiring
photographer’s life changes when she crosses paths with Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett), an older
housewife going through a divorce.

It is impossible for me to put into “a few paragraphs” what this movie evokes and how my life changed
when I first saw it. I would have to admit: the less I say, the better. It is a movie that almost everyone
knows, however, I can’t help but include it every time I can.

Todd Haynes achieves with the help of the smooth cinematography by Ed Lachman, a distinctive
melody in the soundtrack (that every lesbian’s world stops when they hear it) by Carter Burwell, the
accurate vintage costumes by Sandy Powell and the undeniable chemistry between Cate Blanchett
and Rooney Mara to tell a VERY important love story between two women in such difficult time of the
world.

In this film, we see clearly the society’s limitations that the women had to endure during this period,
the confusion in Therese trying to understand what she feels inside of her body for this new person in
her life and the evolution of both characters that starts when the two of them meet with just a glance in
a department’s store during Christmas.

My first summer by Katie Found (2020)
80 min, AUSTRALIA, shot in digital

This Australian coming of age debut feature film by Katie Found was INDEED magic I found this year.
It tells the story of 16 year old Claudia (Markella Kavenagh) who lives isolated in the woods after her
mother died, and the arrival of extroverted Grace (Maiah Stewardson) into her life.
Claudia, without having experienced any encounter with anyone apart from her mother, starts finding
a new way of seeing things thanks to the colors that Grace brings into her everyday life.
Without any knowledge of the story, I dived into this and I found myself smiling and crying throughout
the film. Very important movie that touches subjects like first love, trauma, healing and trust.

Orlando by Sally Potter (1992)
94 min, UK-ITALY-FRANCE, shot in film (35mm)

Based on Virginia Woolf’s famous novel Orlando (1928), this period drama fantasy film starring
multifaceted Tilda Swinton tells the complex story of Orlando, a young nobleman in the Elizabethan
era, who catches the Queen’s eye and commands him to stay young forever.
Orlando stops aging, but it is way more complex than that…

Centuries pass and Orlando encounters different eras of the world. In the 18th century he becomes
ambassador to Constantinople and after a deep sleep, he awakens to discover he is a woman.
Orlando is a love letter that Virginia Woolf wrote to her lover Vita Sackville West, making her immortal
and giving her the power that women didn’t have at that time through the character of Orlando.
Both the novel and the movie were WAY ahead of their time. Orlando’s story navigates the
complexities of society that views men and women very differently.

I also recommend the movie “Vita & Virginia” by Chanya Button (2018)

Blue Jean by Georgia Oakley (2022)
97 min, UK, shot in film (16mm)

Another directorial debut in the list, this one by British director Georgia Oakley.
During 1988 in Newcastle, homosexuality was almost a crime for certain people… Margaret
Thatcher’s conservative government was promoting Section 28, a series of laws that prohibited the
“promotion of sexuality” by local authorities.

With this historical background, we follow Jean (Rosy McEwen). A PE teacher at a secondary school
and closeted lesbian living a double life. At school, she is reserved, she lies to her coworkers and
avoids having social interaction after work with them. In the real world, she has a butch girlfriend and
passes her nights in a secret lesbian bar.

This story shows us the struggle of a woman who is trying to blend in an heteronormative world but
also trying to live her truest self. Everything falls to pieces when a student threatens to expose her
sexuality.

What is important to say about this movie is that it presents past times and situations with issues that
are still current even in 2024. A must watch.

Bound by the Wachowskis sisters (1996)
108 min, USA, shot in film (35mm)

Another movie I always try to recommend. Personally, one of my favorite genres in cinema is the
erotic thrillers, but a CRIME erotic thriller starring two women in love? Sign me in.

Written by Lilly and Lana Wachowski (the creators of Matrix, no less), this is the story of the lesbian
ex-con Corky (Gina Gershon) who gets out of jail and is hired as a painter/plumber at a Chicago
apartment building. There, she meets Violet (Jennifer Tilly) and her husband Caesar in the elevator.
Later on, while Caesar is gone, Violet seduces Corky.

Both concoct a scheme to steal millions of mafia money and pin the blame on Caesar.
Shout-out to the aesthetic vibes of this masterpiece!