Film is cool!

This week’s filmmaker is Leo Gallagher.

He is a Brooklyn-based cinematographer with a passion for documentary and indie narrative work.

His recent work includes the video assets for Jean-Michel Basquiat: King Pleasure and a web series, Viral, which premiered at Tribeca Film Festival.

If your taste aligns with Leo’s you can find his work here gallagherdp.com or follow him on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/leo.gallag/

Todd Haynes’ films are rife with symbolism (he famously studied semiotics at Brown) and are worth multiple viewings.

I’ve seen Carol a handful of times and it always gets me. It’s gorgeously shot on 16mm by Ed Lachman, perfectly evoking but not overdoing the 1950s look of the film.

Lachman and Haynes drew inspiration from photographers of the period like Vivian Meir and Saul Leiter, playing into Therese’s role (played by Rooney Mara) as an amateur photographer.

In this scene, she’s using the camera to create an authorial voice for herself while also understanding the socially-created fissure between Carol (played by Cate Blanchett) and herself. These themes are visually conveyed in the film by recurring shots through glass doors or car windows purposely smudged or obstructed by rainwater.