| Julianne
Moore, Peter Friedman, Xander R. Berkeley , James LeGros, Kate McGregor-Stewart
, Ravi Achar.
Todd Haynes presents a revisionist
take on the paranoia thriller with this story of a Southern California
housewife who suddenly falls victim to an inexplicable, apparently
incurable illness. Carol White (Julianne Moore) lives with her husband
and son in suburban comfort until she collapses one day, for no
apparent reason. Her condition worsens in the weeks that follow,
as she suffers from coughing fits, exhaustion, and spontaneous nose
bleeds, triggered by sources as disparate as car exhaust, cologne,
and the sun. Failing to find any medical explanation for her maladies,
her doctor refers her to a psychiatrist, who suggests that her physical
ailments are psychosomatic -- a theory echoed by her callous and
increasingly frustrated husband. At her wits' end, Carol withdraws
to an expensive New Age retreat for sufferers of "20th century
disease," where the community's guru (Peter Friedman) champions
a dubious regimen of diet, climate control, introspection, and self-love. |