Tag Archives: Carol

Step Back In Time With These Lesbian Period Dramas

Period dramas really do have it all. Hair thick and lustrous enough to move you to tears. Outfits that you’d never want to wear but want to look at more than skinny jeans. Enormous emotions communicated via a series of tense looks, vast countryside vistas, formal dances and epic, sweeping soundtracks that make you feel as though all of your emotions are incredibly important.

So, it’s time to loosen your corsets and unbutton your breeches, as here are some of the best lesbian dramas to entertain you tonight.


Carol

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Carol is set in the Christmas season of 1962. This 2015 film is based on the popular novel, The Price of Salt, written by Patricia Goldsmith. The film stars Cate Blanchett who plays a photographer and mother that is separated from her husband. She starts a forbidden affair with a shop girl and this romantic drama is guaranteed to get your pulses racing.


Heavenly Creatures

This 199 film is based on the 1954 Parker – Hulme murder case when two girls, Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme, become very close to each other as they create their own fantasy world. Things are fine until Juliet’s father approaches Pauline’s parents and tells them the girls relationship is inappropriate. The girls are then torn apart and they reach breaking point leading to a grizzly end.


Reaching For The Moon

This film is based on the true story of a stormy relationship between a Brazilian Architect and an American poet. The film is set in the period of 1951 – 1957 and the scenery is simply stunning.


Tipping The Velvet

This film is based on the book written by Sarah Walters and is set in Victorian England. A young woman, Nan, falls in love with a male impersonator, Kitty, and Nan follows her to London as she also follows her heart.


Bessie

This biobic is based on the life and loves of blues Singer Bessie Smith. Smith is played by Queen Latifah and explores Bessie’s relationship with Lucille.


The Girl King

This 2015 biopic tells the story of Christina, Queen OF Sweden, who finds herself falling in love with Countess Ebba Sparre, who becomes one of her ladies in waiting and eventually her lover.


Daphne

This post war biopic is based on the writer Daphne Du Maurier and her various affairs along with her unrequited love that she has for her publisher’s wife.


Fingersmith

This is another film based on a Sarah Walters Novel. Two women from opposite classes find themselves in an unlikely romance as their paths cross.


The World Unseen

The world unseen is set in 1950’s South Africa and tells the story of two women who fall in love despite the racism, sexism and homophobia that surround them.


The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister

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This biopic is set in the 19th century and follows the loves and life of Anne Lister Drew, a fiercely independent industrialist.

Male Directors Objectified Lesbian And Bi Women Is Still A Growing Trend

The talk about queer representation in the media is one that we’re constantly having, and with every validated right to do so. It’s not a cliché, it shouldn’t be considered one, no matter how much we discuss it, since it has only so many angles to see how it is reflected upon our everyday life, choices, and the formation of our personalities and identities.

I – shamefully – fear discussing trans rights – that legitimately happen to affect my life – with my parents, because I know from the beginning it will be a lost cause due to a harmful and problematic generalization they have formed in their minds because of Greek TV, and I also live in a society that constantly erases one part of my identity, bisexuality – urging even me to question it at times – because some popular series and films make bisexual girls a punchline, or outright refuse to utter the damn word, as if it carries smallpox.

When we discuss representation of queer women on TV, a lot of things can be said, some of them being rightfully optimistic. Contrasting to five years ago, European and American big and small screens can boast for several films and series that do have well-rounded LGBT women in them, queer women that are not the butt of the joke anymore, but actually realistic and interesting characters that other women can relate to.

Of course, there are some major issues due to which we can agree we have cried or ranted at least once: our favorite LGBT female characters will either suffer and die, suffer and break up (because no ending can be a happy ending in same-sex female relationships, while at the same time we’re flooded with a storm of unnecessarily cheesy heterosexual happy endings that the point in counting has been lost about fifty years ago), or sexualized and used as tropes by male directors, even when the characters are well-developed, such as Emma in Blue is the Warmest Color.

This year brought us The Handmaiden, a South Korean psychological thriller adaptation of Sarah Water’s Fingersmith that is considered cinematographically a masterpiece.

In Shannon Keating’s article on BuzzFeed, parallels are drawn between Park Chan-wook’s The Handmaiden, Todd Haynes’ Carol and Abdellatif Kechiche’s Blue is the Warmest Color that are seen as sharing certain elements that point out they were written by women and directed by men.

Respectively, Carol was written by Patricia Highsmith in 1952 and Blue Is the Warmest Color was based on a graphic novel written by Julie Maroh.

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All three movies are seen as turning same-sex relationships between women into aesthetically pleasing compositions that focus on panoramic views of almost identical, thin, white bodies, catering to the needs of a mostly male audience, instead of depicting romantic and sexual feelings realistically in ways that lesbian and bisexual women usually experience them.

But how is that tendency explained?

Female sexuality is still perceived by society at large, as something that, in one way or another either belongs to men, belongs to them, can be controlled by men, or somehow exists to cater to their needs. Even queer women are not easily seen – or depicted, in art and popular media – as people who own, perform and share their sexuality with themselves or with other women. That is sadly seen in real life, with LGBT women facing the threats of hate crimes, corrective rapes, harassment and lastly, fetishization.

In many movies and TV series, lesbianism or bisexuality are often punch lines for “experimentation” or “can I watch” jokes, that make men entitled to women’s sexuality even when they’re not invited, depicting queer women as owing something to men who deserve it, either eye-candy, or the trophy of ending up with them after going through a phase. These are extremely harmful stereotypes, especially when lesbians and bisexual women have to fight all the time to have their identities accepted and validated.

Besides, women are denied the rights to their sexuality, while at the same time depicted as solely sexual beings. Marketing campaigns and ads that show women read as involved, usually underline lust and conventional beauty, with women staring directly at the photographic lens – and the viewer – instead of at each other. There are much fewer popular ads depicting women that share a deep emotional bond between them, forming a family together and being visibly invested in each other.

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Now, even though representation standards are better met up to than they used to be, one can’t put their finger on diversity: most bi and lesbians in the examples of recent films are conventionally feminine, responding to social beauty standards, and usually white. The Handmaiden has South Korean women and The Pariah black (and less gender-conforming) teenager girls from Brooklyn, but these movies definitely are not the norm. Even in Orange is the New Black, the majority of the non-straight women loved by the fans – aside from Poussey but don’t even get me started on that – are pretty homogenous.

In The Handmaiden, the two protagonists appropriate two Ben Wa balls used as weapons earlier in the film to use them as sex toys, in the symmetrical, aesthetically arranged final scene of the movie, in ways that have been criticized as non-realistic by women viewers who love and have sex with women. The two women engage in several occasions in role-play and symbolic dressing-up, only to soon return to their feminine – sexual – selves.

At this point though, I cannot forget the almost comical exaggerations of Blue is the Warmest Color, how I watched it while accepting my own sexuality and seeing it as a test I failed into: the torturously long scissoring scenes had seemed so boring to me it almost worked as an affirmation I should probably leave questioning sexualities to other people, more bi or more lesbian than I was. Of course, that was a ridiculous way to think at 17 but, if you think about it, it’s also not. Being with a girl, as a discovered later, was in no way as boring as that movie had made it seem.

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Not to mention that, as Léa Seydoux said in interviews, a sex scene took ten days to shoot, while the two women were asked to do things that made them feel humiliated.

The Handmaiden also has a controversial – according to many – scissoring scene.

What’s even more eyebrow-raising worthy than the scissoring shenanigans is the entitled guy in the party in Blue is the Warmest Color who sees women as his muses and gives an inspirational ridiculous speech about female orgasms, in a movie, let me remind you, that features two female protagonists being in a relationship with each other.

In a much more refined way, Carol also shows an obsession with aesthetics – which is not a weird thing when you talk cinema – in ways that, according to Keating’s analysis, works into a pattern of women mirroring each other or comparing themselves to each other, just because they are both women.

Added to that, Keating adds that queer women have had enough of their sex lives being depicted as spectacles for straight men, depicting scissoring more often than not and avoiding explicit “finger-dialogues”, as they are often not seen as valid, “full sex” for cishet people. Heaven forfend if they ever show a strap-on on the screen, a woman or a gender-non-conforming person pleasing another woman or GNC completely satisfactorily in a way a male viewer has learnt to think only he would be able to.

All women, and especially queer women, should stop being viewed as owing their sexuality to men, whether that is its direct performance, or a pass for men “to share”. Men don’t own our bodies, our minds, sexualities and experiences, and they shouldn’t feel entitled to fit everywhere within those borders. Sometimes, depictions of queer women that do not come from queer women themselves, but are a product of a cishet male gaze, contribute to these problems, and this is an issue we can’t leave out of our conversation for representation.

Rachel McAdams Joins Rachel Weisz In Lesbian-Themed Movie ‘Disobedience’

Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara has great success with the lesbian-themed love story Carol, and now two other big-tim hollywood actresses are taking up the Sapphic mantle.

Variety reports that Rachel McAdams and Rachel Weisz are set to star in Disobedience.

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Based on Naomi Alderman’s book (which was published in 2006), Disobedience centres around a Ronit (Weisz), a woman who returns to her Orthodox Jewish home following the death of her father. She then rekindles a romance with her best friend (McAdams), who is now married to her cousin. following the death of her rabbi father, of whom she had been estranged. Upon returning, Ronit rattles her quiet hometown when rekindling a formerly repressed relationship with her best friend (McAdams) – a woman who just happens to be currently married to her cousin.

It certainly looks like we’ll be back in the territory of forbidden desires, sexual angst and hidden passions.

Weisz will produce alongside Ed Guiney, and Sebastian Lelio is on-board to direct the film based on a script he co-wrote with Rebecca Lenkiewicz.

Production is expected to get under way in the first quarter of 2017.

McAdams previously starred in the lesbian-themed Passion, although that thriller, from director Brian de Palma, found little success.

Hopefully Disobedience will find a bit more of an audience.

Despite A Call For More Diversity In Film, Study Finds LGBTQ Inequality Still ‘Entrenched’ In Hollywood

Despite a call for more diversity in film, a new study finds little is changing in Hollywood for women, minorities and LGBT people.

This week, the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism released a study that assessed actors, directors and writers in mainstream films from 2007 through 2015.

The study showed LGBT characters make up less than 1% of speaking parts or 32 out of 35,205 characters.

In 2014 there were no transgender characters, but the number increased to one in 2015.

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LGBT character representation increased in 2015, but only two characters were depicted as parents.

The study also found that there was a ratio of 2.2 men with speaking roles for every woman making females 31% of speaking characters in 2015.

The numbers were estimated to be about the same back in 2007.

The number of black, Latino and Asian characters also did not significantly increase from 2007 to 2015, with 12% African American, 5% Latino and 4% Asian characters found.

Professor Stacy Smith, the study’s author, said

We’re seeing entrenched inequality. Whether we’re studying gender, race, ethnicity, LGBT or characters with disabilities, we’re really seeing exclusionary forces leaving out anybody that’s not a straight, white, able-bodied man. Despite all the chatter and all the activism and all the press attention, it’s another year where the status quo has been maintained.”

 

Hollywood Still Has A Major Issue With Representing Queer Storylines and Characters

According to the latest study from GLAAD, released this week, LGBT representation in film needs improvement as well.

Sarah Kate Ellis, GLAAD’s president and CEO, said in a statement.

Hollywood’s films lag far behind any other form of media when it comes to portrayals of LGBT characters. Too often, the few LGBT characters that make it to the big screen are the target of a punchline or token characters. The film industry must embrace new and inclusive stories if it wants to remain competitive and relevant.”

GLAAD is the leading lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media advocacy organisation. Their fourth annual Studio Responsibility Index maps the quantity, quality and diversity of LGBT people in films released by the seven largest motion picture studios: 20th Century Fox, Warner Bros., Lionsgate Entertainment, Walt Disney Studios, Sony Columbia Pictures, Universal Pictures and Paramount Pictures.

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Below are eight highlights from the study:

Only 22 of the 126 major releases in 2015 included characters identified as LGBT

That’s only 17.5% – and in those 22 films, there were 47 LGBT characters, which is up from 28 last year.

When movies do have LGBT characters, they are usually gay men

Male characters outnumbered females by a ratio of more than three to one. Sadly, only 9% of movies included bisexual characters while only one film was trans-inclusive – Warner Brothers’ “Hot Pursuit.”

Everyone is white

In 2014, 32.1% of LGBT characters were people of colour. That number dropped to 25.5% in 2015. Of the LGBT characters counted in 2015, 34 (72.3%) were white, five were Latino (10.6%), four were black (8.5%) and three (6.4%) were Asian or Pacific Islander. One character was non-human, Fabian in Lionsgate’s “Un Gallo con Muchos Huevos.”

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Lack of screen time

Of the LGBT characters on screen, 73% had less than 10 minutes of screen time, their impact is additionally limited.

Of the seven studios, not even one is doing “good.”

Since the study’s inception, GLAAD has given each studio a rating of good, adequate or failing. None of them received a rating of “good” for their 2015 releases. Fox, Lionsgate, Sony and Universal all received ratings of “Adequate”, while Paramount, Disney and Warner Bros. all received a “Failing” grade.

The most inclusive major studio was Lionsgate, as eight of its 2015 releases were LGBT-inclusive.

Warner Bros. followed with five then Universal with four. Sony only had three and Fox two. Neither Disney nor Paramount included any LGBT content in their 2015 slates of 11 and 12 films, respectively.

That’s probably because LGBT depictions are getting worse.

Last year saw a resurgence of outright offensive images of LGBT people; more films relied on gay panic and defamatory stereotypes for giggles.

Though humour can be a powerful tool to challenge the norm, when crafted problematically, it has the opposite effect.

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Only eight of the 22 LGBT-inclusive films passed the Vito Russo Test.

The Vito Russo Test is GLAAD’s set of criteria analysing how LGBT characters are represented in fictional work named after GLAAD co-founder and film historian Vito Russo.

Inspired by the Bechdel Test, these criteria represent a standard GLAAD would like to see a greater number of mainstream Hollywood films reach in the future.

In order to pass the Vito Russo Test, a film must include having an identifiably lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender character that is not solely or predominantly defined by their sexual orientation or gender identity and is tied into the plot in such a way that their removal would have a significant effect.

Only eight of the 22 major studio films that featured an LGBT character passed the test in 2015, the lowest percentage in this study’s history.

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One positive, major studios have more progressive imprints

Last year, GLAAD began examining the film releases of four smaller, affiliated studios to draw a comparison between content released by the mainstream studios and their perceived “art house” divisions. Those smaller studios are Focus Features, Fox Searchlight, Roadside Attractions and Sony Pictures Classics.

Of the 46 films released under those studio imprints, 10, or 22%, were LGBT-inclusive. That’s a notably higher percentage than the parent studio counterparts and an increase from 2014’s 10.6% (five of 47) of films from the same divisions. Some of the films from these smaller studios include “The Danish Girl,” “Grandma” and “Stonewall.”

Carol, Sense8, And Bessie Win At The 2016 GLAAD Media Awards

TransparentSense8, and Carol took home some of top prizes at this years annual GLAAD Media Awards.

The award show – held this weekend – honoured TV, film, and journalism that offer “fair, accurate and inclusive representations” of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities.

Demi Lovato, received the Vanguard Award, while Orange Is the New Black‘s Ruby Rose received the Stephen F. Kolzak Award, which was presented by Taylor Swift in a surprise appearance.

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Queen Latifah also won an award for her role in Bessie and thanked lesbian aunt who raised her.

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The night also marked Lilly Wachowski’s first public appearance since she announced her transition last month.

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In her acceptance speech for Sense8, Wachowski thanked the “fabulous people at GLAAD” and then added a jab at the reporter who attempted to force her outing:

Love is a crucial thing for transgender people. It’s a tether. When faced with a rather simple proposition of whether you’re unlovable, our imagination falters. Too many of us end up on the wrong side of the existential question of love or oblivion. And so we ring that bell. Not just for everyone else’s sake, but our own.”

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The Los Angeles ceremony will air on Logo on April 4. More awards will be presented in New York on May 14. See the full list of winners below.


 

Outstanding Film — Wide Release

Carol

Outstanding Comedy Series

Transparent

Outstanding Drama Series

Sense8

Outstanding TV Movie or Limited Series

Bessie

Outstanding Documentary

Kumu Hina

Outstanding Reality Program (tie)

I Am Cait

I Am Jazz

Outstanding Daily Drama

The Bold and the Beautifu

Special Recognition

Beautiful As I Want to Be, Logotv.com

This Is Me, Amazon Instant Video

Outstanding Music Artist

Troye Sivan

Outstanding Comic Book

Lumberjanes

Outstanding Talk-Show Episode

“Janet Mock,” Super Soul Sunday

Outstanding Novela

Rastros de Mentiras, MundoMax

Outstanding Television Interview (Spanish-Language)

“Orientación Sexual y Acoso Escolar” Realidades en Contexto, CNN en Español

Outstanding Local Television Interview (Spanish-Language)

“La nueva Transgeneración,” Enfoque Los Ángeles, KVEA-Telemundo 52 [Los Ángeles]

Outstanding Local-TV Journalism (Spanish-Language)

“Cada 29 Horas,” Noticias 19, KUVS-Univision 19 [Sacramento]

Outstanding Newspaper Article (Spanish-Language)

“Padres transgénero – El único requisito para ser papá es el amor por los hijos” por Virginia Gaglianone, La Opinión

Outstanding Digital-Journalism Article (Spanish-Language)

“Perú: violaciones correctivas: El terrible método para ‘curar’ a las lesbianas” por Leire Ventas, BBCMundo.com

Outstanding Music Artist (Spanish-Language)

Ricky MartinRuby Rose’s post about overcoming depression might be the most inspiring thing you read today

Has It Really Been A Great Year for Female Film Characters?

Although we’ve seen many male-led movies such as The Martian, The Revenant and The Big Short garner a lot of attention, many critics say the past year was good for fans of films with female characters too.

They point to films like Carol, Room and Mad Max: Fury Road as prime examples of films where the women were the stars of the show, and of media where leading ladies kicked ass first, taking names later in their own way.

Some critics argue that it hasn’t just been a great year for female characters, numbers wise, but in how they were presented as well.

The characters in these films, including Inside Out and Grandma, don’t necessarily fit into the typical ‘strong female character’ mould either, as they’re flawed and messy and imperfect in the same way that actual, real-life women are.

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But does that mean that we’re in a new era of movie-making, where women get to take the lead in more pictures, and are written in ways that won’t make us want to throw the nearest piece of pottery?

Not necessarily.

We may have made some real strides in terms of both numbers and the actual depictions of these female characters, but the work is far from over.

For example, although we are quick to praise the diversity of movies like Grandma, Freeheld and Carol for starring lesbian characters, it‘s also important to consider that these three movies, like many of the others being praised for positive representation of women, star white women. (All three films were also massively snubbed at the Oscars, with misogyny being blamed).

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Also important to note is how the 2016 Oscars featured no nominees of colour in any of its acting categories, sparking a revival of the #OscarsSoWhite hashtag.

While this is incredibly frustrating, it’s both an ugly symptom of the Academy’s massively lopsided voting pool and of Hollywood itself and it was massively disappointing to see films like Tangerine (a movie about two trans women of colour) get shut out.

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It’s also worth noting that one film that has been praised for its black female ‘heroine’ character, Chi-Raq, has also been criticised for its own misogyny, as it involves ending gun violence via the means of women withholding sex.

Straight Outta Compton, another movie starring people of colour that many felt should have been nominated by the Academy, also overlooked the violent acts committed by Dr. Dre against women.

Whether we will see the trend of female-led films (hopefully with more diversity) continue into 2016 and beyond is unclear.

Although Hollywood blockbusters make far more at the box office when starring female characters, who’s to say that Hollywood will pay attention when it’s been ignoring that factoid for years?

Additionally, with so few female film-makers holding Hollywood’s top jobs, decisions of these female-focused films are largely in the hands of men.


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Todd Haynes’ Lesbian Love Story ‘Carol’ Named Best LGBT Film Of All Time

Todd Haynes’ lesbian love story Carol – which was released last year – has been named the best LGBT film of all time in a top 30 list that included past and present movies.

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Carol, staring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, came top of a poll compiled to mark the 30th anniversary of the London lesbian and gay film festival, BFI Flare.

Just behind Carol was Andrew Haigh’s 2011 film, Weekend, followed by Wong Kar-wai’s 1997 Hong Kong romance, Happy Together, and at No 4, Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain.

An adaptation by Phyllis Nagy of Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel, The Price of Salt, Carol which topped a poll of more than 100 film experts.

It was a film adored by critics, and was nominated for six Oscar and nine Bafta nominations, although it came home empty-handed from both award ceremonies.

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Tricia Tuttle, deputy head of festivals at the BFI, said it was no surprise that Carol came out top.

Haynes is an absolutely beloved film-maker inside and outside LGBT cinema circles and this is one of his finest films.

Everyone has their favourite Todd Haynes and this is certainly mine, I voted for it. Given the relative lack of lesbian content in cinema it is nice to see it come top.”

Haynes said he was proud Carol had won.

Carol is in illustrious company with so many films I love, from Brokeback Mountain and Un Chant d’Amour to Happy Together and My Own Private Idaho.”

Kate McKinnon’s ‘Carol’ Parody Is Everything We Needed Today

During Saturday’s Independent Spirit Awards, hosts Kate McKinnon and Kumail Nanjiani debuted a pre-taped parody of the award winning Carol and it’s everything we needed today.

McKinnon takes on Cate Blanchett’s role in Carol and Nanjiani plays her waiter in a hilarious sketch.

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Find out what happens when McKinnon meets Rooney Mara at Lezzie’s, where all the lesbians (including Wanda Sykes and Jane Lynch) go for their ‘clandestine glove lunches’.

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Watch and laugh

Despite A Promising Nine Nominations, Carol Loses Out At BAFTAs

Cate Blanchett was nominated for her critically acclaimed role in lesbian love story, but lost out in the Best Actress category to Brie Larson for her role in Room.

The film also missed out after being nominated for the Best Film gong, which went to The Revenant.

Todd Haynes also missed out as best Director, which went to Alejandro G. Iñárritu, for The Revenant.

Meanwhile, Rooney Mara lost out on the Best Supporting Actress award, to Kate Winslett for her performance in Steve Jobs.

Carol lost out in the Production Design, Make up and Hair, Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay and Costume Design categories.

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Based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt, the film follows Mara and Blanchett’s characters’ relationship. The film shows that the women must make sacrifices in order to be together.

The film has been critically acclaimed, but earlier this month, the ABC network said it would not run a trailer for the film Carol during the Superbowl unless a lesbian love scene was edited out.

Carol Is ‘Misunderstood’, Say Critics And Fans

Carol, which stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara (who play Carol and Therese, respectively) as two women falling in love, was one of the standouts of the many LGBTQ+ films released last year. In fact, the 1950s-set movie has even been called the ‘best lesbian film of all time’ by some.

However, despite the overwhelming praise that has been bestowed on the Todd Haynes-directed piece, some viewers and film critics have called the movie ‘cold’. Admittedly, Carol is a film of few words, opting to go for the subtle approach, but have some people misunderstood the film or is this an appropriate criticism?

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Writing at The Atlantic, David Sims notes that criticisms of “chilliness” come from the fact that “so many of their early interactions are centered around fleeting touches and glances, or pleasant small talk that doesn’t remotely stoop to the level of innuendo”. However, Sims argues, this is where Carol’s “brilliance” lies, as the film “aligns” with “the terrifying experience of falling for someone without knowing how they feel about you.

Fans of the movie (particularly bisexual and lesbian women) who have seen Carol, also call this lack of ‘obvious’ language a reason why some viewers (particularly heterosexual ones) may have missed the point. The subtle clues between the two women – who must figure out whether this is a deep friendship or if there are romantic feelings – will be familiar to women who love women (wlw) watching the film who will have struggled with similar questions of ‘is she queer’ and ‘does she like me in that way’.

Arguably, it would be ludicrous to ask a film about lesbians, based on a book by a lesbian, with a screenplay written by a lesbian, to make things more obvious for heterosexual viewers. This is an important point especially as other films such as Stonewall, have tried to pander/be more understandabe for straight viewers and have failed tragically as a result.

Moreover, the so-called ‘coldness’ of Carol accurately reflects the time that Carol and Therese were living in. In an interview with Indiewire, Todd Haynes explains that

… Therese can’t even find the syntax for describing her feelings for this woman. There is no example in the world that she can point to to put it into language. And there’s something radical, and frightening and wonderful about that.”

Haynes also called the 1950s a “very anxious, anxiety-ridden time” and while the intricacies of this may have been lost on some, many others would agree that he has presented this perfectly. And this realism, and the truth of the piece, is perhaps why the rest of us love Carol so very, very much.

Watch The Banned ‘Carol’ Trailer Deemed Too ‘Lesbian’ for TV?

Nominated for six Oscars, Carol is a stunning film making waves around the world.

But those waves are apparently little too hot for ABC. Execs at ABC, the network that airs super racy scenes on shows like How To Get Away with Murder, told Carol’s studio, the Weinstein Company, to cover up Cate and Rooney in a new TV spot or it would not be aired.

ABC execs told Weinstein they would only air the spot if the studio “provides more coverage on both,” according to a press release from the Weinstein Company.

The new Carol ad focuses on the physical relationship between Carol (Cate) and Therese (Rooney), something previous ads have not, but it appears that ABC execs are just plain squeamish about women’s bodies touching.

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Watch the banned spot below. Do you think it’s too racy for ABC primetime?

‘Carol’ Sweeps The Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association’s Dorian Awards After Oscars Snub

Critically-acclaimed lesbian love story Carol was the big winner in the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association awards – aka the Dorians – taking five top prizes including best film, best director for Todd Haynes and best actress for Cate Blanchett.

The film, which was nominated for six Oscars last week, also won best screenplay (for Phyllis Nagy’s script) and best LGBTQ film, while Haynes also received the Wilde artist of the year award.

Leonardo DiCaprio won best actor for his role as 19th-century frontiersman in The Revenant, Auschwitz drama Son of Saul won best foreign film and Amy took best documentary.

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Carol’s success represents a fillip for Haynes and his team after the Cannes prize-winner unexpectedly missed out on Academy awards nominations for best film and best director.

Blanchett and co-star Rooney Mara are up for best actress and best supporting actress respectively, with the latter the current bookmakers’ favourite to take home the prize, and Nagy also has a nod for best-adapted screenplay.

Carol is a period drama, set in Manhattan, which tells the story burgeoning romance between Blanchett’s divorcing mother and Mara’s aspirant photographer.

The film was adapted from the 1952 Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt, which the author initially published under a pseudonym.


Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association awards – full list of film category winners

Film of the year: Carol
Director of the year: Todd Haynes, Carol
Film actor of the year: Leonardo Dicaprio, The Revenant
Film actress of the year: Cate Blanchett, Carol
LGBTQ film of the year: Carol
Foreign language film of the year: Son of Saul
Screenplay of the year: Carol
Documentary of the year: Amy
Visually striking film of the year: Mad Max: Fury Road
Unsung film of the year: Tangerine
Campy flick of the year: Magic Mike XXL
The ‘We’re Wilde about you’ rising star award: Alicia Vikander
Wilde wit of the year: Amy Schumer
Wilde artist of the year: Todd Haynes
Timeless award: Jane Fonda

Oscars 2016: 5 of the Biggest Nomination Snubs

In just over a months’ time, the 88th Academy Awards (the 2016 Oscars) will take place. Hosted by comedian Chris Rock, the award show aims to heap praise on those who’ve done a brilliant job in filmmaking both in front of and behind the camera.

Earlier this week, the Oscars 2016 nominations were revealed and while there were some notable highlights (trans drama The Danish Girl landed multiple noms, as did Mad Max: Fury Road) there were also some notable snubs. Below is our list of the biggest snubs; feel free to leave yours in the comments!


1. Carol

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Carol is quite possibly the best lesbian film ever made; most people who’ve seen it and critics, many of whom have featured Carol in their ‘best of the year’ lists, would agree.

So why, despite Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara getting nominations for their incredible performances in the film, was the film looked over elsewhere?

In a brilliant article on Autostraddle, Heather Hogan suggests that Carol was kept out of the Best Picture and Best Director categories because of misandry rather than lesbophobia. 76% of Oscar voters are men and as director Todd Haynes “refused to center on masculine experience” it stands to reason that the voters didn’t want to heap praise on the movie.


2. Tangerine

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Tangerine is a film that stars two trans women (who are also sex workers) named Sin-Dee and Alexandra, telling the story of what happens when Sin-Dee finds out that her boyfriend (and pimp) has been cheating on her. Not only was it praised for casting two actual trans women to play trans characters (a rarity in films these days) but this indie flick was also shot on an iPhone.

With critics raving about the film, the team behind Tangerine decided to campaign for the Oscars, making it the first ever Oscars campaign for openly transgender actresses. A nomination was always a long shot but we’re still sad to see Tangerine and its cast miss out.


3. Clouds of Sils Maria (Kristen Stewart)

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Less of a long shot was Clouds of Sils Maria. Released in the United States in April 2015, the drama starred Juliette Binoche as a middle-aged actress cast in a film with Chloe Moretz (who plays an up and coming actress in the film), while Kristen Stewart stars as the personal assistant Binoche’s character has some serious tension with.

With Stewart having scooped up a César (a French Oscar) for her role, in what some have called a ‘career-defining performance’ for the actress, many were surprised to see that Oscar voters overlooked her.


4. Grandma

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Another film that everybody has been raving about is Grandma. Controversial for the fact that it centres on a grandmother and her granddaughter trying to find the funds for an abortion, critics loved the comedy-drama and said that Lily Tomlin was fantastic in it.

As a result, her Oscars 2016 snub was a shock though some have cited age (Tomlin is 76) and Hollywood’s bias against older women as a primary reason for the snub.


5. Any Actor of Colour

It is amazing (and not in a good way) just how staggeringly, blindingly and frankly uncomfortably white this year’s Oscars are. For the second year on the trot, every single acting nomination was given to white actors and actresses. Not even Will Smith (who offered a brilliant performance in Concussion) and Idris Elba (who delivered a dazzling performance in Beasts of No Nation) were nominated.

Michael B. Jordan was completely overlooked whereas his Creed costar Sylvester Stallone got a nomination and Straight Outta Compton was also ignored despite being a critical and box office smash.


The most recent figure (from 2012) suggests that Oscar voters are 94% white so again this isn’t surprising, but the fact that this has happened another year in a row, at a time when the Academy is reportedly trying to improve regarding diversity, makes this even worse.

Even the Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs has voiced her disappointment

Oscars 2016: Cate Blanchett And Rooney Mara Both Nominated For ‘Carol’

Hollywood held its breath today as the academy revealed which of the year’s films it was most impressed by.

The Revenant led the nominations with a total of 12, followed by Mad Max: Fury Roadwith 10, and The Martian with seven.

Cate Blanchett is up for Best Actress for her critically-acclaimed role in lesbian love story Carol – which received a total of six nominations, including one for co-star Rooney Mara, who is up for Best Supporting Actress.

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However, there was film failed to pick up Best Picture category, and Todd Haynes was absence in the Best Director category.

Eddie Redmayne is also aiming for an Oscar double after being nominated for Best Actor for The Danish Girl – twelve months after winning the same prize for The Theory of Everything.

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However, Redmayne faces stiff competition from the likes of Bryan Cranston, Leonardo DiCaprio and Michael Fassbender.

Other nominees included Sam Smith and Lady Gaga – who were both nominated for Best Original Song.

Smith – who is nominated for Bond theme, Writing On The Wall – expressed shock after also picking up a Golden Globe for the song last weekend.

Lady Gaga is nominated for her track, Till It Happens To You, which formed part of the soundtrack of film The Hunting Ground.

Unsettlingly, for the second consecutive year, no performers of colour were nominated. Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation), Michael B. Jordan (Creed), Samuel L. Jackson (The Hateful Eight), Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton) and Mya Taylor (Tangerine) were among the many black actors who were shut out.

Similarly, no women cracked the Best Director race – but, sadly, that comes as no surprise.

 

Bafta Film Awards: ‘Carol’ And ‘The Danish Girl’ Lead This Year’s Nominations

Great news, Cate Blanchett is up for Best Actress for her critically-acclaimed role in lesbian love story Carol – pitting her against Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl), Saoirse Ronan and Brie Larson – at this year’s Baftas.

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Also nominated is Dame Maggie Smith, nominated for her role in the excellent The Lady In The Van – written by prestigious gay playwright Alan Bennett.

Carol – which is up for a total of nine gongs – is also nominated for Best Film, alongside Bridge of Spies, The Big Short, The Revenant and Spotlight.

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Another queer movie making waves is The Danish Girl, with Eddie Redmayne aiming for a Bafta double after being nominated for Best Actor – twelve months after winning the same prize for The Theory of Everything.

The Danish Girl – in which Redmayne plays transgender pioneer Lili Elbe – is also named for Outstanding British Film.  Vikander – who has won universal praise for her role as Gerda Wegener in the biopic – is also nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role in sci-fi thriller Ex Machina.

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She faces Kate Winslet – who recently took part in a stunning androgynous photo shoot – nominated for her role in Steve Jobs.

In Review: Lesbian Film Highlights Of 2015 And What We Can Expect From 2016

Did you notice that this year you actually got to see lesbian films outside of the LGBT film festival circuit? And that several of them got nominated for (and even won) awards? And they even had big names attached to them?

That’s right, 2015 was a really interesting (and important) year for LGBT movie-goers as more LGBT-themed films got accepted and publicised by the mainstream.

While that meant that we heard about some duds (such as Stonewall, which was rightfully ripped to shreds by critics), it also meant that some true cinematic diamonds got the spotlight they deserved.

Yes folks, 2015 showed that it actually pays to play gay.

So what were the highlights of 2015?

Carol

Just about everyone has high praise for Carol and with its leading ladies having both picked up Golden Globes nominations for their brilliant performances in the movie, but it’s being tipped for Oscar nominations as well.

Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, is one of the most talked about films of the year. Not only does it star Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in a May-December relationship (that also has a class divide) but it’s also beautiful shot and the depiction of 1950s America is absolutely exquisite.


Freeheld

Starring Ellen Page and Julianne Moore in a May-December relationship, based on a true story, Freeheld tells the tragic story about a police officer named Laurel Moore who is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

With the help of some friends, Moore and her domestic partner Stacie Andree fight to ensure that Laurel’s pension benefit get passed on to Stacie even after Laurel passes.

Prepare to shed some serious tears watching this one.


Grandma

Grandma is an unusual twist on the buddy movie genre. It stars out actress Lily Tomlin as the titular grandma, who, after the death of her long-time partner and having split up with her girlfriend after four months, has to help out her 18-year old granddaughter.

Her granddaughter is pregnant and needs money for an abortion, but, being broke and having had her credit card confiscated by her mother, the two women have to find the cash for the procedure, opening old relationship wounds and rehashing old arguments along the way.


Bessie

It’s a TV movie, but Bessie deserves its spot on this list. Out director Dee Rees’ film about blues singer Bessie Smith was nominated for a ton of Emmys and won several, including the Emmy for Outstanding Television Movie. Great acting, amazing music and big names like Queen Latifah and Mo’Nique made for a splendid film. Any worries that Bessie Smith’s bisexuality would be underplayed are squashed after watching this film. And she’s not the only queer lady in this biopic either.


Bare

Dianna Agron’s queer drama about a young woman living in Nevada, who becomes romantically involved with a female drifter, played by Paz de La Huerta. It’s a small town girl – bored with life – story.

The film, is written, produced and developed by Purple Milk aka Natalia Leite and out producer Alexandra Roxo, two independent filmmaker from Brooklyn. Together they have worked on documentaries, like the upcoming Serrano Shoots Cuba, and the web series Be Here Nowish (which you can watch on KitschMix.tv), which they wrote and also starred in.


Liz In September

Despite autumn being the best season of the year, this one doesn’t offer much to smile about as the titular ‘Liz’ is a lesbian who has terminal cancer. Things aren’t going much better for her love interest either as she has lost her son to cancer.

It sounds pretty miserable on paper, true, but Liz In September has gotten a warm reception from critics at least, especially for the performance of Patricia Velasquez (who came out this year) so it’s worth a watch.


All About E

Romance! Criminal hijinks! A queer woman of colour triumphing over a racist buffoon! All About E has got it all, as it stars the titular ‘E’ and her gay best friend as they get into trouble after accidentally steal money from the club where E works.

A gay Mission Impossible this is not, but it is a great deal of fun and you’ll really enjoy seeing E and her ex-girlfriend rekindle their relationship.


7. Summertime

Blue Is The Warmest Colour take a seat; Summertime (La Belle Saison) is the best gay, French film on the block. Featuring farm girl Delphine as she leaves her parents place in the countryside to come to the city, the movie follows her as she meets a feminist named Carole who she promptly falls in love with.


The Girl King

There are (and this is a rough approximation) 1 billion and one films about heterosexual historical figures getting married, cheating and dabbling in royal politics. So why can’t queer characters get the same movie tropes? Lucky for us, The Girl King solves that problem, focusing on the (very real) Queen Christina of Sweden as she assumes the throne at a young age following her father’s death.

A true rebel, despite her title, Christina is pretty fond of peace (despite everyone around her wanting war), wearing men’s clothing and sword-fighting too, but you’ll mostly likely be interested in her romance with Countess Ebba Sparre who becomes one of her ladies in waiting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z65cdquVuMU


Skin Deep

Yes, this is another movie where a lesbian and straight girl become friends and there’s some sexual tension, but Skin Deep is a lot more than that. The film is about two women – with their own dysfunctions – meeting at what should be the worst time ever, yet somehow its not.


The Summer of Sangaile

Seventeen-year-old Sangaile is fascinated by stunt planes. She meets a girl her age at the summer aeronautical show, near her parents’ lakeside villa. Sangaile allows Auste to discover her most intimate secret and in the process finds in her teenage love the only person who truly encourages her to fly.


Girlhood

Oppressed by her family, dead-end school prospects, and the boys’ law in the neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of free-spirited girls. She changes her name and dress, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping to find a way to freedom.


Tig

This documentary explores comedian Tig Notaro’s extraordinary journey as her life unfolds in grand and unexpected ways, all while she is battling a life-threatening illness and falling in love.


The Same Difference

When you’re part of a marginalised group, ‘there’s a high chance of discrimination’ is almost inked in small print at the bottom of the sign-up sheet, as is the nature of the thing.

The Same Difference by first-time director Nneka Onuorah, sheds light on an issue we rarely see discussed in this medium: hypocrisy in the black lesbian and bisexual community. A code of behavior and appearance exists and it’s strong, but as the movie shows us, there are women living outside of these boxes and they often aren’t received well. The film also looks at the judgment bisexual women, pregnant aggressive, and stud-on-stud couples face.


So what films should we being looking out for in 2016?

About Ray

About Ray tells explores the questions of identity and family ties. With Malificient actress, Elle Fanning, playing a New York City teen Ray, who is transition from female to male. Naomi Watts will play Ray’s single mother, Maggie, who must come to terms with raising her only daughter as a son. Long-time LGBT ally, Susan Sarandon will play Maggie’s mother Dolly – a music manager who lives with her lesbian partner and has a hard time understanding her grandchild’s decision.

The release date for About Ray has been pushed around, but it finally looks like Dec. 31 will be the day. Give me a break–most of you will be watching Susan Sarandon play gay in 2016.


First Girl I Loved

In short, First Girl I Loved is about a 17-year-old who falls in love with the most popular girl at school. The backstory about the lives of three young girls from Phillip Island and follows their trip to Hawaii — the first step on their journey to making a break as professional surfers.

Discover the trials and tribulations of training, competitions and injury whilst gaining an insight into life on the tour through the eyes of three girls. With magic footage and stellar photography, First Love will surprise, entertain and inspire a generation of female surfers.


Almost Adults

Almost Adults, starring Carmilla favourites Elise Bauman and Natasha Negovanlis, is also set to come our way in 2016. The film is about a platonic love story between two life long best friends struggling to keep their friendship together as their lives head in different directions.


Also, look out for out actress Kate McKinnon in Ghostbusters, and hearing Ellen DeGeneres in Finding Dory.

The Best (And Steamiest) Sex Scenes Between Women in TV And Film This Year

It’s always difficult to capture every good sex scene with the plethora of sexy TV on nowadays, but we dove in deep in the name of entertainment!

So as you get ready to ring in 2016, let’s take a look at the 10 most TV sex scenes of the past year.

Get ready to be hot and bothered.


1. The Duke of Burgundy

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It would be difficult to pick a standout sex scene in Peter Strickland’s remarkable The Duke Of Burgundy, because the whole movie functions as an extended sex scene.

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2. Cosima and Shay, Orphan Black

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Honestly, seeing Cosima move on from Delphine was a tough pill to swallow. But a spoonful of Shay really helped the medicine go down.


3. Annalise and Eve, How to Get Away with Murder

The whole season could just be these two kissing and we’d still show up every week.

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Watch, watch, and watch again


4. Big Boo & Rachel, Orange Is the New Black

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Orange Is the New Black has always delivered great lesbian sex scenes, but the show upped it in Season 3, Episode 4 when fans got insight into Big Boo’s past. Big Boo had a sex scene in a flashback where she used a strap-on dildo with her girlfriend at the time.


5. Nomi and Amanita, Sense8

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Netflix pulled a lesbian hat trick this year, with this infamous scene that puts the pan in pansexual. While it’s not strictly limited to our favorite couple, it definitely turns up the heat.


6. Syd and Ali, Transparent

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In a show riddled with narcissism and snark, it’s refreshing to see some sweet authentic kissing between long time friends-cum-lovers Syd and Ali.

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7. Dianna Agron and Paz de La Huerta, Bare

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Dianna Agron naked with another woman, need we say more.


8. Piper and Alex, Orange Is the New Black

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Again we turn to OITNB, and if you’re going to have prison sex, why not library prison sex, hey? And when that heated romp is between, Piper and Alex its guaranteed to make our year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wo7uPZCNL9A


9. The Countess, Donovan, & Their Victims, American Horror Story: Hotel

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In the first episode of American Horror Story: Hotel, Lady Gaga’s character, the Countess, was introduced with a bang. The blood-drinking woman hit the town with her boy toy of the decade, Matt Bomer’s Donovan, and seduced an attractive couple at an outdoor movie.


10. Jeryn and Pam, Jessica Jones

Melissa Rosenberg’s outstanding Netflix series Jessica Jones, starring Krysten Ritter (Breaking Bad) as the titular superheroine, not only features the creepiest baddie in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, but also boasts the MCU’s most dynamic, complex female character; a badass woman brimming with agency who enjoys sex just as much as she does administering justice.

But our pick isn’t JJ, but a scene between Jeryn and Pam. Okay, to be clear, this is an evil manipulative sex scene, but it manipulates an evil character, so it we feel okay with how damn hot it is.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoN5gUdwY-M


11. Carol

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The first hour of Todd Haynes’s expertly crafted Carol traces the burgeoning love affair between the titular Jersey housewife (Cate Blanchett) and a reticent Big Apple shopgirl, (Rooney Mara). It’s all furtive glances and sumptuous gazes—that is, until the two hit the road, putting constricting 1950s society in their rearview. It all builds to a sequence in a motel room, a paroxysm of unbridled pleasure that feels nothing short of monumental.

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How Female LGBT Characters Were Represented in the Media in 2015

Once upon a time, the discussion surrounding LGBT representation in the media was a numbers game and all we wanted to know was how many LGBT identified characters were depicted on the big and small screens.

But now, as more and more networks and studios have begun to feature LGBT stories in their works, the question is all about how those LGBT character were represented, rather than how many we could count.

With this said, Hollywood movies did well on both fronts in 2015. LGBT characters weren’t just main characters in a fair handful of movies  but there was nothing particularly eye-rolling or offensive about any of them either (we’ve come a long way from 2010’s The Kids Are All Right and 2013’s Blue Is The Warmest Colour).

Carol (which features Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara as two women who fall in love in the 1950s), Grandma (a lesbian poet accompanies her granddaughter as they try to drum up funds for the teen to have an abortion), Tangerine (two trans women go about finding their pimp) and Freeheld (a true and tragic story about a lesbian couple’s fight for benefits) have all gotten serious mainstream attention.

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Admittedly this is a small handful of films out of the hundreds released this year (we’ll have to wait until next year for GLAAD’s full breakdown on LGBT characters in films from major studios) but as mentioned, it’s a long way away from a few years ago.

TV also made some strides particularly in terms of queer women of colour and establishing queerness with younger audiences. On Orange is the New Black, Poussey and Soso seemed to be on the verge of a romance, as did Suzanne and Maureen.

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Meanwhile, How To Get Away With Murder’s lead character, Annalise Keating, rekindled her romance with her college girlfriend, and notable mentions go to Person Of Interest‘s Sameen Shaw who kissed Samantha “Root” Groves after episodes upon episodes of subtext and two of FOX’s new shows Grandfathered and Rosewood both featured black lesbians.

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Then, when it came to cartoons, Adventure Time got an entire miniseries that focused on queer vampire Marceline (and her canon relationship with Princess Bubblegum) and Steven Universe revealed that Garnet is actually a big lesbian up of two little lesbians who are so in love they can’t bare to separate.

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Also on SU there are Pearl’s (seemingly non-platonic feelings) for Rose, Amethyst and Peridot’s crushes on each other and the fact that Steven and his best friend Connie joined together (fused) to become ‘Stevonnie’, a character of colour who uses ‘they’ pronouns.

And not to forget The Legend of Korra, with the show ending with two bi women of colour (one of whom being the show’s main character) holding hands, signifying their canon relationship.

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That said, overall, TV was a mixed bag (though this is perhaps due to TV having LGBT women leading to a higher probability of TV writers mucking it up).

Although Faking It‘s writing team have said that Amy is a lesbian, they still decided to use Amy’s portrayed bisexuality as a chance for her girlfriend to be biphobic. And less offensive but still unsettling is the fact that of the characters on shows being portrayed as bisexual (such as Annalise Keating, Sarah Pfefferman on Transparent) you’d be unlikely to hear them actually say the word ‘bisexual’ .

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And while there’s a case to be made about TV showing that labels don’t matter,there are too many examples of this happening to suggest that that is always the case.

Moreover, Empire completely got it wrong as not only did lesbian billionaire Mimi Whiteman (Marisa Tomei) kiss Lucious Lyon (after showrunner and The L Word creator Ilene Chaiken hyped up the character’s arrival and her sexuality, no less) but it didn’t do (butch lesbian character) Freda Gatz justice either, seeing her get beaten in a rap battle just to further another character’s manpain.

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Also showing how TV got it wrong was Pretty Little Liars which, in addition to being a total story-writing trainwreck during season five, it was incredibly transphobic as well as the show’s main characters managed to misgender a newly out trans women and use her dead-name too.

So, if we had to rate the year in LGBT media (with LGBT female characters at least), then 2015 would get a solid 7: it’s pushing the boundaries and getting better, but clearly work needs to be done.

 

Top 10 LGBT Films Released in 2015

2015 was a really interesting (and important) year for LGBT movie-goers as more LGBT-themed films got accepted and publicised by the mainstream.

While that meant that we heard about some duds (such as Stonewall, which was rightfully ripped to shreds by critics), it also meant that some true cinematic diamonds got the spotlight they deserved.

So, to help you to sort the wheat from the chaff, here’s our list of the top 10 LGBT films released in 2015.


1. Carol

Carol-01

Carol, based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, is one of the most talked about films of the year. Not only does it star Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in a May-December relationship (that also has a class divide) but it’s also beautiful shot and the depiction of 1950s America is absolutely exquisite.
carol-13

Just about everyone has high praise for Carol and with its leading ladies having both picked up Golden Globes nominations for their brilliant performances in the movie, but it’s being tipped for Oscar nominations as well.

Long story short: if you can only see one film on this list, see Carol.


2. Freeheld

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Starring Ellen Page and Julianne Moore in a May-December relationship, based on a true story, Freeheld tells the tragic story about a police officer named Laurel Moore who is diagnosed with terminal cancer.

With the help of some friends, Moore and her domestic partner Stacie Andree fight to ensure that Laurel’s pension benefit get passed on to Stacie even after Laurel passes.

Prepare to shed some serious tears watching this one.


3. Grandma

grandma-01

Grandma is an unusual twist on the buddy movie genre. It stars out actress Lily Tomlin as the titular grandma, who, after the death of her long-time partner and having split up with her girlfriend after four months, has to help out her 18-year old granddaughter.

Her granddaughter is pregnant and needs money for an abortion, but, being broke and having had her credit card confiscated by her mother, the two women have to find the cash for the procedure, opening old relationship wounds and rehashing old arguments along the way.


4. Liz In September

Liz In September 04

Despite autumn being the best season of the year, this one doesn’t offer much to smile about as the titular ‘Liz’ is a lesbian who has terminal cancer. Things aren’t going much better for her love interest either as she has lost her son to cancer.

It sounds pretty miserable on paper, true, but Liz In September has gotten a warm reception from critics at least, especially for the performance of Patricia Velasquez (who came out this year) so it’s worth a watch.


5. The Danish Girl

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While The Danish Girl has been controversial for casting a cisgender actor as a trans woman, the film tells the real-life story of a trans woman name Lili Elbe who was one of the first people to get sex reassignment surgery.

The film sheds light on the changing relationship between Lili and her wife Gerda.

The film also shows the love triangle between the two women and Lili’s childhood friend; though divisively it veers form the real-life turn of events and sees Lili and Gerda stay together.


6. All About E

All About E 01

Romance! Criminal hijinks! A queer woman of colour triumphing over a racist buffoon! All About E has got it all, as it stars the titular ‘E’ and her gay best friend as they get into trouble after accidentally steal money from the club where E works.

A gay Mission Impossible this is not, but it is a great deal of fun and you’ll really enjoy seeing E and her ex-girlfriend rekindle their relationship.


7. Summertime

Summertime 01

Blue Is The Warmest Colour take a seat; Summertime (La Belle Saison) is the best gay, French film on the block. Featuring farm girl Delphine as she leaves her parents place in the countryside to come to the city, the movie follows her as she meets a feminist named Carole who she promptly falls in love with.

Plot twist, Carole has a boyfriend and though Carole soon ditches him, there’s more drama when Delphine’s dad falls ill and suddenly she’s being forced to choose between staying with her heteronormative family (who want her to marry a man) and ditch her girlfriend or leave her family behind for the love of her life.


8. Reel In the Closet

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Stonewall, frankly, was a pile of rubbish and as mentioned, we don’t recommend that you watch it. At all. But, if you’re still looking for your LGBT history fix, Reel In The Closet is a brilliant alternative as not only does this documentary feature commentary from actual LGBT people who faced huge difficulties in the 20th century but it also features footage from the era too.

Admittedly, this one may make you well up as you learn exactly what struggles the older generation of LGBT folk had to face when they were younger, but it’s incredibly educational.


9. The Girl King

The Girl King

There are (and this is a rough approximation) 1 billion and one films about heterosexual historical figures getting married, cheating and dabbling in royal politics. So why can’t queer characters get the same movie tropes? Lucky for us, The Girl King solves that problem, focusing on the (very real) Queen Christina of Sweden as she assumes the throne at a young age following her father’s death.

A true rebel, despite her title, Christina is pretty fond of peace (despite everyone around her wanting war), wearing men’s clothing and sword-fighting too, but you’ll mostly likely be interested in her romance with Countess Ebba Sparre who becomes one of her ladies in waiting. It’s a bit over the top, and it’s not meant to be taken too seriously, but if you want to see a badass, queer queen, then give it a watch.


10. Tangerine

Tangerine 02

This list began with a critically acclaimed movie that’s been gathering up awards and so it will end with another; Tangerine, a comedy/drama about two trans women of colour who go about locating their pimp.

In addition to showing a great step forward in film-making (it was filmed entirely on an iPhone), Tangerine could also potentially result in Oscar nominations for its two leads, which would make them the first trans actresses nominated for an Academy Award. Watch this if you want to see ground-breaking movie making in action.

NEW ‘Carol’ Clip Will Leave You Hungry For More (Video)

Cate Blanchett leave us totally seduced and wanting more in this new clip from upcoming movie Carol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pk_Xixo_P3g

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, Carol follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.

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The film has generated Oscar buzz since its May premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Weinstein Company, which is distributing the film, is planning a slow platform release forCarol. Distribution won’t go wide until after Oscar nominations are announced in mid-January.

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Ruby Rose Joins Acting Elite With SAG Awards Nominations

Ruby Rose’s status in Hollywood continues to rise with the former MTV presenter being nominated with her Orange is the New Black cast members for best ensemble in a TV comedy series.

Uzo Aduba has scored her second nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her portrayal of Suzanne “Crazy Eyes” Warren.

The SAG Awards, along with rival awards show the Golden Globes, are key stepping stones for actors and films hoping to build momentum toward next month’s Oscar nomination ceremony.

Cate Blanchett is on track to pick up the seventh Oscar invite of her career after SAG voters in Los Angeles on Wednesday gave her a nod for her performance in the 1950s romantic-drama, Carol.

Blanchett’s Carol co-star Rooney Mara was nominated in the supporting actress category.

Viola Davis received a nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series for her role as Annalise Keating in the ABC series, How to Get Away with Murder.

Queen Latifah is up for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries in the HBO production, Bessie.

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Lily Tomlin (Grandma) and Sarah Silverman (I Smile Back) have also been nominated.

Tough Choice! Cate Blanchett & Rooney Mara Nominated In Same Category For Movie ‘Carol’ At Golden Globes

Hurrah, the nominations for the 2016 Golden Globes Awards, have been announced and leading the charge is Carol – a lesbian romance set in the 1950s – with both Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara being nominated in the same category for Best Actress.

Also vying for the award is Brie Larson (Room), Saoirse Ronan (Brooklyn) and Alicia Vikander (The Danish Girl)

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Carol is also nominated for Best Director, Original Score and Best Motion Picture.

Lily Tomlin has been nominated for two awards, Best Actress in a Television Comedy for her role in Frankie and Grace, and Best Actress in Comedy Movie for her role in Grandma.

She will be competing with Jennifer Lawrence, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Maggie Smith for  The Lady in the Van.

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Queen Latifah (Bessie) competes with Lady Gaga (American Horror Story: Hotel), for Best Actress, Mini-Series or TV Movie.

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The Danish Girl lead Eddie Redmayne is also in contention for leading Best Actor Drama. He goes up against Bryan Cranston, Leonardo DiCaprio, Michael Fassbender, and Will Smith.

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Orange is the New Black’s Uzo Aduba is nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The show is also nominated for Best TV Series, Comedy/Musical alongside Transparent.

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The winners will be announced in a live televised ceremony on January 10, hosted by Ricky Gervais. This year will be the first since 2012 that is not hosted by Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, but Gervais is no stranger to the stage; next year will be his fourth time as host.

See below the full list of nominees who made the cut for this year‘s awards:

MOVIES

Best Picture, Drama

Carol
Mad Max: Fury Road
The Revenant
Room
Spotlight

Best Picture, Comedy or Musical

The Big Short
Joy
The Martian
Spy
Trainwreck

Best Director

Todd Haynes, Carol
Alejandro Innaritu, The Revenant
Tom McCarthy, Spotlight
George Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road
Ridley Scott, The Martian

Best Actor, Drama

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant
Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs
Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl
Will Smith, Concussion

Best Actress, Drama

Cate Blanchett, Carol
Brie Larson, Room
Rooney Mara, Carol
Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn
Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Best Actor, Comedy

Christian Bale, The Big Short
Steve Carell, The Big Short
Matt Damon, The Martian
Al Pacino, Danny Collins
Mark Ruffalo, Infinitely Polar Bear

Best Actress, Comedy

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy
Melissa McCarthy, Spy
Amy Schumer, Trainwreck
Maggie Smith, The Lady in the Van
Lily Tomlin, Grandma

Best Supporting Actor

Paul Dano, Love & Mercy
Idris Elba, Beasts of No Nation
Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies
Michael Shannon, 99 Homes
Sylvester Stallone, Creed

Best Supporting Actress

Jane Fonda, Youth
Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight
Helen Mirren, Trumbo
Alicia Vikander, Ex Machina
Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs

Best Screenplay

Emma Donoghue, Room
Tom McCarthy and Josh Singer, Spotlight
Charles Randolph and Adam McKay, The Big Short
Aaron Sorkin, Steve Jobs
Quentin Tarantino, The Hateful Eight

Best Original Score

Carter Burwell, Carol
Alexandre Desplat, The Danish Girl
Ennio Morricone, The Hateful Eight
Daniel Pemberton, Steve Jobs
Ryuichi Sakamoto & Alva Noto, The Revenant

Best Original Song

“Love Me Like You Do,” Fifty Shades of Grey
“One Kind of Love,” Love & Mercy
“See You Again,” Furious 7
“Simple Song #3,” Youth
“Writing’s On the Wall,” Spectre

Best Animated Feature Film

Anomalisa
The Good Dinosaur
Inside Out
The Peanuts Movie
Shaun the Sheep Movie

Best Foreign Language Film

The Brand New Testament
The Club
The Fencer
Mustang
Son of Saul

TELEVISION

Best TV Series, Drama

Empire
Game of Thrones
Mr. Robot
Narcos
Outlander

Best TV Series, Comedy/Musical
Casual
Mozart in the Jungle
Orange is the New Black
Silicon Valley
Transparent
Veep

Best TV Miniseries or Movie

American Crime
American Horror Story: Hotel
Fargo
Flesh and Bone
Wolf Hall

Best Actor, Drama

Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Wagner Moura, Narcos
Bob Odenkirk, Better Call Saul
Liev Schrieber, Ray Donovan

Best Actress, Drama

Caitriona Balfe, Outlander
Viola Davis, How to Get Away With Murder
Eva Green, Penny Dreadful
Taraji P. Henson, Empire
Robin Wright, House of Cards

Best Actor, Comedy

Aziz Ansari, Master of None
Gael Garcia Bernal, Mozart in the Jungle
Rob Lowe, The Grinder
Patrick Stewart, Blunt Talk
Jeffrey Tambor, Transparent

Best Actress, Comedy

Rachel Bloom, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
Jamie Lee Curtis, Scream Queens
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Veep
Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin
Lily Tomlin, Grace and Frankie

Best Supporting Actor

Alan Cumming, The Good Wife
Damian Lewis, Wolf Hall
Tobias Menzies, Outlander
Ben Mendelsohn, Bloodline
Christian Slater, Mr. Robot

Best Supporting Actress

Uzo Aduba, Orange is the New Black
Joanne Froggatt, Downton Abbey
Regina King, American Crime
Judith Light, Transparent
Maura Tierney, The Affair

Best Actor, Mini-Series or TV Movie

Idris Elba, Luther
Oscar Isaac, Show Me A Hero
David Oyelowo, Nightingale
Mark Rylance, Wolf Hall
Patrick Wilson, Fargo

Best Actress, Mini-Series or TV Movie

Kirsten Dunst, Fargo
Lady Gaga, American Horror Story: Hotel
Sarah Hay, Flesh and Bone
Felicity Huffman, American Crime
Queen Latifah, Bessie

Must Watch: ‘Carol’ Featurette Includes Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Sarah Paulson Interviews

In an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, Carol follows two women from very different backgrounds who find themselves in an unexpected love affair in 1950s New York. As conventional norms of the time challenge their undeniable attraction, an honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.

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In the latest featurette, we get a behind the scenes look at the people who brought Carol to the silver screen so exquisitely.

This clip not only features Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, who play the leading lovers, but also director Todd Haynes and co-star Sarah Paulson, who plays Carol’s former lover and current confidant.

Watch the clip below, then make plans to catch Carol as soon as possible:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=31&v=PVL_L5tkE4c

The film has generated Oscar buzz since its May premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

The Weinstein Company, which is distributing the film, is planning a slow platform release for Carol. Distribution won’t go wide until after Oscar nominations are announced in mid-January.

The new featurette allows viewers to go behind the scenes and hear from the entire ensemble cast, including Sarah Paulson, who plays a former lover of Carol in the film.

Carrie Brownstein On How Being Outed in Spin Magazine Made Her Feel ‘Splintered And Smashed’

Now, in 2015, actor, writer and musician Carrie Brownstein has legions of queer fans. Not only is the performer out herself, but she also features in new movie Carol (which stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara in a May-December relationship), and is also set to star in Transparent season two (as Ali Pfefferman’s best friend, Syd).

But Brownstein didn’t exactly have the easiest path to being out as although other big names such as Ellen Page, Amber Heard, and Evan Rachel Wood all came out of their own accord, the performer was actually outed.

In 1996, just as her band Sleater-Kinney was becoming more famous, the band was featured in an issue of Spin magazine. While this would be exciting for any up and coming musician, not long after the issue was published, Brownstein got a phone call from her father saying that the publication had revealed that Brownstein and bandmate Corin Tucker had dated.

Speaking to SheWired about the debacle, Brownstein explains that neither her nor Tucker had told their parents or families and that the outing left her feeling “splintered and smashed”. Moreover:

I didn’t think or know if I was gay; dating Corin was just something that had happened. I had not yet figured out who I was, and now I was robbed of the opportunity to publicly do so; to be in flux.

From that point on, any denial or rescinding would seem like backpedaling or shame to a group of people whom I didn’t want to alienate. Yet I felt it was unfair to be labeled when I had yet to find a label for myself, and when binary, fixed identities held no meaning or safety for me.”

Brownstein also tells the publication that although she sees the importance in visibility and feels that it’s “corrosive to be hidden”, she doesn’t think that “anybody ‘owes’ anything.”. This sort of terminology is “dangerous” says Brownstein, and “we need to change the conversation from ‘Do you owe me this?’ to ‘Are you living your best self?’”

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Moreover, Brownstein is outspoken about the way that the media discusses out celebrities as well.

She is “unashamed of the identifier ‘queer,'” but, Brownstein asks, “I don’t know if that is the best description of Portlandia or the best description of Sleater-Kinney or the best description of [Brownstein’s new book ‘Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl’]”.

Rather, she challenges the media to come up with “more sophisticated, nuanced of ways of writing and critiquing” her work.


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Sarah Paulson Talks Carol, American Horror Story And Dating (Video)

Whether you know her from Down With Love, or her work on every incarnation of American Horror Story, or The Spirit or Martha Marcy May Marlene or 12 Years A Slave, you have probably had some great experience with 0ut actress Sarah Paulson by now.

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She is an award-winning star who is becoming a household name. In a new interview, Paulson speaks with David Poland in depth about her latest film Carol and a career in acting.

Watch the in-depth interview below:

Sarah Paulson Talks The Aftermath Of Coming Out And New Movie ‘Carol’

Sarah Paulson is not only one of our favourite actresses in Ryan Murphy’s FX hit American Horror Story, but she is set to shine in Carol this weekend, as Cate Blanchett’s former flame, Abby.

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She recently sat with Pride Source to reflect on her accidental coming out experience, the on-going debate whether actors need to be gay in order to play gay, and her convictions over who she is.

I refuse to give any kind of label just to satisfy what people need.”

In 2005, when then-girlfriend Cherry Jones was named a winner at the Tony Awards, Paulson planted a sweet kiss on Jones’ lips and outed herself to the world.

On the aftermath of coming out Paulson had this to say;

The truth of the matter is, it was early enough in my career that there have been no attachments made to me as a performer. I think the thing that makes it somewhat easier in terms of there not having been ramifications is that I’m a character actress—nobody is assigning a particular kind of sexual anything to me, I don’t think…it just seems if you’re sort of known for being a sex kitten…then you end up being a total femme fatale actress, and then all of a sudden you make a statement about your sexuality, it becomes news. Whereas I’m a character actress; I can do a lot of things. I don’t think anybody’s made one particular association with me that would then make them go, “Well, I can’t see her this way now.”

She also added

I do think it’s more important, and I know that Matt Damon got a terrible amount of flak for the way he phrased those things (earlier this year, he said: “People shouldn’t know anything about your sexuality because that’s one of the mysteries that you should be able to play.”), but the sentiment is still true: My personal life… I’m not gonna hide it from you, but I also don’t want you to think about that before you think about the character I’m playing. And so I want that to be of paramount importance – it’s of paramount importance to me that you believe the story I’m trying to be a part of telling you, and if my personal life is going to get in the way of that, I don’t like that at all.

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On Carol and how people assume Cate Blanchett must have had relationships with women in order to portray a lesbian:

Is anyone asking George Clooney what he likes about having sex with a woman? Nobody does. It’s a foregone conclusion that it’s just an acceptable reality and nobody thinks to bother to ask. But you have a story about two women together or two men together and all of a sudden it becomes fair game and assumptions are made that are just never made in the reverse, and I just think it’s terribly unfair.

Why is anyone making assumptions about anything about anybody’s life? It’s a funny thing when actors complain, like, “I didn’t ask for this; I just wanted to act.” Well, in a perfect world we’d all just be able to act and none of this would be part of it, but it is a part of it—this is part of it—and on some level, it comes with the territory. But on another level, you can be responsible and you can control what you will talk about and what you won’t talk about. Either you live your life in a very private way or you don’t, and I never have done that—ever—and I won’t do it going forward. I also won’t serve it up on a platter for someone to feast on, because it’s mine.

About her experience working on a movie, and how it reflects on her own sexuality, she added.

What it really made me think about is the power of love and how, at the end of the day, love is love, period. The end. It sounds cliche, but I think most cliches are cliches because they’re very, very true. And it’s very interesting, because I’ve been with men and women, and (the movie) puts a very fine point on that truth, which is that it’s very personal and that love is love, and sometimes you love a person you weren’t expecting to love – and how glorious is that?

SARAH PAULSON stars in CAROL

SARAH PAULSON stars in CAROL

On labelling herself

Because I refuse to give any kind of label just to satisfy what people need. I understand that everybody wants to have a person to look toward that is actively making change around this issue, and I understand for young people coming out they want to attach that hope to a particular person, but I think that honesty is the most important piece of this for me.

All I can say is, I’ve done both, and I don’t let either experience define me. I don’t let having been with a man make me think I am heterosexual, or make me want to call myself that, because I know I have been attracted to women – and have lived with women. So, for me, I’m not looking to define myself, and I’m sorry if that is something that is seen as a rejection of or an unwillingness to embrace (my sexuality) in a public way, but it’s simply not. It’s simply what’s true for me, and that’s all I can speak to.

On being a LGBT role model, she added.

I do, and I think sometimes within the community itself people are like, “You have a responsibility to it – young people need the voices, we need the voices, we need people to see it.” And I get it. But my reality is different than your reality. I have had different experiences.

Carol opens in theaters in New York and Los Angeles Nov. 20.

Read Cate Blanchett’s Amazing Response To Questions About Her Sexuality

Since being paid to play gay, Cate Blanchett has been faced with the question about her sexuality.

When she was faced with this question a few months ago, she decided to turn the question on it’s head.

Yes. Many times.”

We all saw that comment, and our heart skipped a beat. But then days later, She later clarified her answer at a press conference.

However, in a recent interview with the Guardian Blanchett explained exactly what she was doing.

I also just played Mary Mapes, who’s a journalist. No one asked me how long I’d been to journalism school. If I played someone who has an affair, I think a reporter would probably think twice before asking, ‘Ooh, how many affairs have you had?’ It would be a slightly delicate area.

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But there are no holds barred about asking me whether I’ve had relationships with women. And so I facetiously said, ‘Oh yes, I’ve had many relationships with women’ – because frankly, who hasn’t? Of course I said it in inverted commas. But the inverted commas didn’t make the page.”

Recently Blanchett has called for more diversity in portrayals of gay people on screen.

Carol opens in cinemas on Nov 27.

Cate Blanchett Calls For More Diversity In LGBT Characters We See On Screen

Speaking of her new role in Carol – in which Cate Blanchett plays a woman in a same-sex relationship – the actress said it was frustrating because many people expect their own relationships to be represented.

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Talking to The Guardian, she said

The problem is that when you represent a character in a same-sex relationship, it’s like you have to represent them all.

You become a spokesperson, which really isn’t the point. When the time comes that we have a diversity of same-sex couples in film, then the problem is solved, I don’t have to stand for everyone.”

In the film, Blanchett’s character, an older woman in 1950s New York, has an affair with a younger woman, who is played by Rooney Mara.

The Highsmith novel, also published under the name The Price of Salt, was ground-breaking in its portrayal of a romance between two women.

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At a time when most lesbian love stories were resigned to pulp fiction with doomed characters, the characters in this novel are given a realistic relationship and a chance at a happy ending.

One her character, Blanchett added;

I read a lot of girl-on-girl books from the period. I think there are a lot of people that exist like [Carol] who don’t feel the need to shout things from the rafters.”

Blanchett recently said she was misquoted when it was widely reported she had said she had had sexual relationships with women.

Carol opens in cinemas on Nov 27.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4z7Px68ywk

‘Carol’ Review Round-Up: What Do Critics Say About the Upcoming Movie?

Upcoming movie Carol isn’t just one of the most highly anticipated lesbian-featuring films of the year (along with Freeheld and Grandma), it’s one of the most highly anticipated films of 2015, standard.
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The film, which is based on the Patricia Highsmith novel The Price of Salt, is set in 1952 and stars Cate Blanchett as a married, 46-year old socialite who falls for Rooney Mara’s character, who is a 30-year old shop clerk.

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The film breaks ground for a few reasons, as not only is it part of a rare group of films to portray May/December romances (romances between a younger person and an older person) but Carol also covers the class gap between the two women as well.

Blanchett and Mara have been praised for their performances in the film and those who have been lucky enough to see it at film festivals have said that both women are strong Oscar contenders.

So, with a few weeks to go until the film is released at the box office, we’ve put together a Carol review round-up, featuring the excerpts from several different critics.

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Alicia Adejobi – International Business Times:

Todd Haynes has crafted a visually stunning picture with Carol, a lesbian love story brought to life with remarkable performances by Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Although for all its beauty, Carol concludes with a sense that it could have been rounded-off with a better developed story.

Carol surprisingly has very little dialogue. Instead, Haynes develops the love story by playing on Mara and Blanchett’s natural chemistry which results in many scenes where not much happens but a stripped conversation about trivial matters. Still, where Carol does fall flat in fleshing out an otherwise one-dimensional premise, it makes up in the talents of the core cast, which includes terrific support from Sarah Paulson as Carol‘s long-time friend and confidante and Kyle Chandler as Harge.”

Score: 3 out of 5

Justin Chang – Variety:

…high expectations don’t quite prepare you for the startling impact of Carol, an exquisitely drawn, deeply felt love story that teases out every shadow and nuance of its characters’ inner lives with supreme intelligence, breathtaking poise and filmmaking craft of the most sophisticated yet accessible order.”

Score: n/a

Jason Bailey – Flavorwire:

The performances are predictably astonishing; Mara has a way of conveying the fullness of her character in an offhand line reading, and the variations in Blanchett’s tight smile tell, in their own way, the film’s entire story.

The picture is gorgeous, which is no surprise from Mr. Haynes — lushly photographed by Lachman (yet in grain-pushing Super16, to keep the image from seeming too immaculate, its New York streets a noticeable contrast to Heaven’s squeaky-clean Sirkian suburbs), magnificently costumed by Sandy Powell, every car gleaming, every tchotchke in place. These rooms and stores seem to close in on our heroines; ultimately, they cannot contain them.”

Score n/a

Heather Hogan – Autostraddle:

I was so intoxicated by Carol I wanted to sit down in the middle of the sidewalk on the New York City street and close my eyes and relive every detail, over and over, until I could play it backwards and forwards on a loop in my own imagination for forever.

…To value the rarity of seeing a lesbian film stitched together with such accomplished precision it makes me wish the word “epic” hadn’t been completely diluted so I could bring the full weight of its meaning to bear on this love story. Extraordinary? Singular? Remarkable? Yes, all of those things too.

Perhaps the best praise I can give Carol is that ten minutes into it, I forgot it was my job to be a critic. Twenty minutes in, I forgot I was watching a movie at all.”

Score: n/a

While these are just a handful of reviews, the majority of the opinions we read for this piece were incredibly positive. From being called ‘flawless’ and ‘phenomenal’ and ‘the best lesbian movie ever’, to Cate Blanchett being called ‘the world’s last true movie star’, everybody everywhere has something good to say about Carol.

The fact that the film has less dialogue than most won’t be for everyone, though, but for many people Carol’s gorgeous shots and the sometimes wordless acting, the expressions and the framing of the scene should be enough.

Carol will be available at the box office on November 20 (United States) and November 27 (United Kingdom).

Also read: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara Talk On-Screen Chemistry For ‘Carol’

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4z7Px68ywk