This was only Todd Haynes second feature and its a very impressive looking film with a solid performance by Julianne Moore. Story is about Carol White (Moore) who is married to Greg (Xander Berkeley) and they live in the San Fernando Valley of California in a very neat and sterile looking home. Carol spends her days going to the gym, functions, dinner parties and shopping. Her life is very organized and clean. Carol does not come across as a deep thinker and at times has difficulty finishing sentences. One day she starts to feel ill and goes to the doctor to get checked. They run tests but they show nothing. As time goes by and Carol gets worse she finally figures out that her immune system is allergic to things in our environment. Car fumes, hairspray, perfume, pollution, ink from newspapers and many other things. She discovers a spa in New Mexico that caters to people that have this affliction and Carol moves there. The spa is run by Peter (Peter Friedman) who acts like a new age, self help guru and preaches that all the patients made themselves sick with their mind. Todd Haynes has always sought out the best cinematographers that he could find and found Alex Nepomniaschy (Narc) for this film. One of the most impressive things about this film is how beautifully shot this is. Their are so many shots that are just stunning to look at and the use of colors is important as to how we respond to certain scenes. Haynes did this also in "Far From Heaven" which is one of the most beautiful films ever shot. This was a very important role for Moore and her performance is so vital to the film. Moore lost about 10 pounds for the role and later in the film she does appear gaunt. This performance was so well received that it launched her career to even better roles.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
The script has many ironic points to it and the one glaring piece of irony is how we see Carol at the beginning and the end of the film. At the beginning we see her in her clean and sterile home in California. Then at the end we see her in her "Safehouse". A totally sterile environment and still not much of a life to live. An interesting point that the film makes is that the condition of these patients is caused by their mental status. Their bodies react in a truly sick manner and can even cause death but its all caused by themselves. In the cast of the film is Jessica Harper who is not in enough scenes and I was happy to see her pop up in a role. I've always been a fan of hers and I wish her role was larger. And Brandon Cruz (The Courtship of Eddie's Father) has a small role also. The pacing of the film is slow and deliberate and some may find this to be a fatal flaw. It is a slow running film, especially when the film shifts to the spa in New Mexico. If your a fan of Haynes (Like me) than you should definitely check out this early feature from him.
*****SPOILER ALERT*****
The script has many ironic points to it and the one glaring piece of irony is how we see Carol at the beginning and the end of the film. At the beginning we see her in her clean and sterile home in California. Then at the end we see her in her "Safehouse". A totally sterile environment and still not much of a life to live. An interesting point that the film makes is that the condition of these patients is caused by their mental status. Their bodies react in a truly sick manner and can even cause death but its all caused by themselves. In the cast of the film is Jessica Harper who is not in enough scenes and I was happy to see her pop up in a role. I've always been a fan of hers and I wish her role was larger. And Brandon Cruz (The Courtship of Eddie's Father) has a small role also. The pacing of the film is slow and deliberate and some may find this to be a fatal flaw. It is a slow running film, especially when the film shifts to the spa in New Mexico. If your a fan of Haynes (Like me) than you should definitely check out this early feature from him.