What happens when a 20-something Manhattan department store clerk meets a woman trapped in an stifling marriage? Sparks fly! But they’re the muted, somber, sensual-rather-than-sexy sparks of the type that once flew in the 1950s. Carol, the lesbian romance drama based on the book The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, stars Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett as lovers in a world that is nowhere near ready to accept them. The moody trailer, which you can watch above, is set to “My Foolish Heart,” and has a tone that’s vaguely reminiscent of Mad Men—stylized, emotional, sad.
Kyle Chandler also stars, and Todd Haynes (who worked with Blanchett in 2007’s I’m Not There) directs. The film debuted at Cannes, and will highlight October’s London Film Festival. Carol hits U.S. theaters Nov. 27.