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Both of these women are weighed down by the burdens of compulsory heterosexuality. Carol's marriage to Harge (portrayed by Kyle Chandler) fell apart after she had an affair with her best friend, Abby (portrayed by queer icon Sarah Paulson), leaving the custody of her daughter hanging precariously in the balance. Therese is in a slogging relationship with Richard Semco (portrayed by Jake Lacy), who's pushing for an engagement—though Therese engages in a small and unsatisfying tryst with another man in the film.

To thank Therese for her efforts in returning her gloves, Carol invites the younger woman to lunch. A mutual obsession develops from the start, propelled by a slow simmering attraction that is exhibited by no other pairing in this film. But their agonizing will they/won't they affair means danger for Carol's personal life, as Harge is threatening to petition for custody of their daughter via a "morality clause," which would expose Carol's homosexuality to the court and community.

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Carol longs to get away from it all, and takes Therese with her on a cross-country road trip. The women grow closer, even as an air of danger begins to hang over Carol. After consummating their long-burning feelings, Carol is distraught to learn that they've been tailed by a private investigator, Tommy Tucker (portrayed by Cory Michael Smith), sent by Harge to gather evidence of her lesbian affairs. Carol holds Tucker at gunpoint, but it's too late—the evidence has already been delivered.

The women have no choice but to return home. As Carol goes one way to fight for custody of her daughter, Therese is left behind in the wake of the family drama. However, this film subverts the tendency to bog queer cinema down with tragic endings, as Carol eventually embraces the truth of her sexuality, refusing to abide by the rules of both Harge and society. Carol invites Therese back into her life, and after finding that she connects with no one else the way she connected with Carol, she seizes her chance at love.

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A Case for Why Carol is the Best Holiday Movie Ever

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