7) Carol
A tale as old as time – or, at least as old as Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel – Carol is melodrama as Fabergé egg, a precious, glimmering bauble of rich colour and detail that could only be made by the finest of craftspeople.
Director Todd Haynes surfaces the simmering passion and anguish of a decorously presented ‘50s love story, where every thread of hair and frock is as precisely arranged as the words of Phyllis Nagy’s screenplay. Stars Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett comport themselves with emotive meticulousness and Golden Age glamour that most would kill for just a half-share in. Throw into the mix Carter Burwell’s spellbinding score, Edward Lachman’s splendid cinematography, and the indispensable costuming design of Sandy Powell, and you’ve got the ultimate sensory romance, a drama that looks and sounds as captivating as it feels.