Director Todd Haynes said bringing his latest film, “Carol,” to the big screen presented some unique cinematic challenges.

Haynes, who is openly gay, told HuffPost Live this week that he had to find interesting ways to convey a closeted lesbian relationship in the 1950s without using a lot of dialogue, partly because the type of contemporary “language” used to describe a same-sex couple didn’t exist during the era in which the movie takes place.

“This provides this beautiful opportunity where words don’t really guide you through the experience,” he said. “The camera becomes very essential in how the story is told. The music — silences between [stars Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara], touches. Things that, when we’re in that state…of falling in love, you attract so much attention to yourself.”

The director also sounded off on the scrutiny many gay and lesbian-themed films that star actors who identify as heterosexual face.

“We all have components in our histories, in our imaginations, in our fantasies that take us places that we may not live out in our lives and the choices that we make in our relationships,” he said. “I think that’s true for actors. Actors find relevant experiences in their life and in their past to tap into.”

Certainly audiences agree with Haynes’ assessment, as the movie has received rave reviews and done impressive business at the box office.

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