As the 68th Festival de Cannes (Cannes Film Festival) entered its 5th day, British-american romantic drama Carol, directed by Todd Haynes, was screened Sunday to compete for the top prize Palme d'Or.

The screenplay of the movie is based on the semi-autobiographical novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith in 1952.

The movie is about the love story of a clerk in the department store for a married woman.

Carol, played by Cate Blanchett, is a sophisticated, middle-class woman trapped in an unhappy marriage. She meets with Therese, played by Rooney Mara, who works in a department store. They are attracted to each other at first sight, and this attraction quickly gives way to feelings. Not long after, Carol and Therese run away together, on a road trip across America.

"Sometimes, the most affecting experiences in film, when you are talking about stories of love, are rooted in a character's point of view," said Haynes.

"What's so interesting about Carol is that the beginning rooted in Therese' point of view, but there is a movement that happens throughout the course of the story, and ended up in the point of view of Carol," explained the director.

He stressed that the two women at the end of the movie are totally different from the two at the beginning.

"The challenge of playing a character, originated from a Patricia Highsmith' story, is that they are so illusive, magnetic and mysterious. And I think Carol is quintessentially all of those things," said Cate Blanchett.

For the Oscar winner, what makes the character Carol special is that Carol was not a card-carrying member of any sexual persuasion and she got a foot in both camps, a devoted mother and a secret lesbian.

This is the second time Todd Haynes' movie enters Festival de Cannes. In 1998, he won a special jury award for Best Artistic Contribution for his movie Velvet Goldmine at the 51st Festival de Cannes.

A total of 19 films were selected to compete for the top prize Palme d'Or. The 68th Festival de Cannes runs from May 13 to 24. Endit

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