Finding Privacy in Carol (2015) in Three Acts and Five Restaurants
Written by Amy Lee

Act 1. From First Date to First Trip: ‘...flung out of space.’


The restaurant booth is interesting in that it attempts to carve out privacy within a public space. By partially sectioning the restaurant into small niches made of benches and a table, rectangular ‘rooms’ that can be occupied by a single party are created.
For the first proper meeting of Carol (Cate Blanchett) and Therese (Rooney Mara), director Todd Haynes used this spatial characteristic to provide a private space for the women as well as to visualize the gradual start of a personal, intimate relationship. The sequence begins with a wide shot that establishes the space as a restaurant with other patrons, then progressively tightens to focus on the women’s faces. At the end of the process, the booth becomes more detached from the rest of the restaurant than at the start of the sequence.


The transition from a public restaurant to a single booth parallels the transition of the characters’ relationship from two strangers in a bustling city to a party of two in a private relationship. As the viewer is slowly guided to concentrate on Carol and Therese, both the viewer and the lovers become assured in the provision of privacy within the situation. However, the whole restaurant still lies outside the camera’s frame. The booth’s promise is but an illusion of privacy which can be invaded easily by other people who might eavesdrop, sneak looks at them or interrupt their conversation. This potential of invasion is kept in the frame even at the tightest shot, through the back of a man’s head in the booth behind Therese.
This element of potentiality reappears in another sequence involving another restaurant booth. Anonymous patrons’ heads can be seen behind the women as they exchange Christmas presents. Despite Therese’s coat visually establishing an additional barrier between the rest of the restaurant and their booth, a patron’s head right behind Therese invades even this fragile bid for private space. Moreover, the positioning of the camera right behind Carol’s head implies that the viewer of the film is also a voyeur in the restaurant, peeking into the privacy of the women. Although Carol describes Therese as ‘flung out of space’, the restaurant booths they occupy reveal that neither of them are granted the blessing of complete privacy or detachment from the criticizing public sphere.

Although the viewer starts to notice these invasions within the lovers’ private bubble, Carol and Therese remain secure in the trust they place in the public spaces they share. This makes the final act of invasion in their hotel room even more visceral. When the detective hired by Carol’s husband tapes the sound coming from the women’s room and sends it to his employer, he not only shatters any respect for the women’s dignity, but also the sense of privacy they’ve had in their relationship thus far.

Act 2. The Past Lover: ‘Abby. There’s always Abby.’
As a lesbian couple in 1950s New York, Carol and Therese’s personal relationship is constantly invaded and criticised by external forces throughout the film, just as Carol and her former lover Abby (Sarah Paulson)’s was during its run and after its end. Carol’s husband insists, ‘Abby. There’s always Abby’ although Carol replies that Abby and she were over long before they were over. A shot from Carol’s meeting with Abby in another restaurant booth could be read in accordance with this continued invasion.

In the shot above, the two women are tucked into a more severely sectioned off booth than the ones Carol shared with Therese. Carol is only seen through her red coat and suitcase that holds Therese’s present, signalling that her romantic relationship with Abby has passed. Despite the increasingly secure privacy offered by the sturdier booth, the women are positioned at the far right of the frame. The viewer can notice the dark figure of another patron on the left side, who does not sit in a booth. As the viewer is led to see him as a potential listener and criticiser, they can also realize that the angle again positions them as another patron in the restaurant, looking at the women and listening.

The shot then transitions abruptly to a much closer one of Abby and Carol - now just two friends, conversing over a drink. The abrupt transition differs from the slower progression of Carol and Therese’s meeting, signalling the past lovers’ disillusionment to promises of privacy when it comes to their relationship. Unlike the slow transition used for Carol and Therese’s lunch, a quick transition from a wide shot to a tighter shot makes sure that the rest of the restaurant just outside the frame is not forgotten. This reveals the nature of Carol’s and Abby’s relationship. Their romance has passed, and in the absence of a dizzying love affair they are no longer fooled into relying on the booth’s tantalizing half-promise of privacy.
Act 3. Rebuilding Out in the Open: ‘May as well be on the record.’

When Carol and Therese meet again, Carol has decided to stop denying her affair with Therese, ending her marriage in unfavourable terms but freed at last. Once more, they are seated in a restaurant – this time without any booths in sight. With no partitions in between tables, there is no illusion of privacy anymore. It is fitting that it is in this bared setting that Carol first confesses her love to Therese. Unfortunately, direct invasion or interruption is also easier outside a booth, as demonstrated through the interruption of Therese’s friend Jack (Trent Rowland) right after Carol’s confession.

Luckily for the lovers the film decides that interruption can go both ways, and Therese brings the restaurant arc full circle by returning to ‘invade’ Carol’s dinner at the Oak Room after a sudden change of heart. As they find each other in this last booth-less restaurant, the diegetic chatter and music dims then stops entirely. The intense main theme by Carter Burwell starts as the camera slowly tightens the shot on the women’s faces. It’s the discovery of true privacy within newly assured emotions - one that can take on the blatantly public space of a social club’s restaurant and still stand strong. End.


Filmography:
Haynes, Todd, director. Carol. The Weinstein Company, 2015. 1hr., 58min.
*All film stills from Carol (2015)
If you’re working on a research paper or dissertation, writing a literature review is a crucial step—but it’s also one of the most time-consuming. Instead of spending hours gathering and analyzing sources, why not get expert help? I found a service that specializes in literature reviews, ensuring top-quality academic work that meets all formatting and citation requirements. Whether you need help with research, organization, or writing, this platform has you covered. Visit literature review helper to get professional support and make your academic journey easier!