Director: Andrew Haigh
By Alex Watson
45 Years is a powerful and moving story of a rock solid marriage facing the ultimate test. Director Andrew Haigh delivers a very subtle but effective touch and is supported by two stunning lead performances. The calm and serenity of the flat Norfolk broads help to elevate the mystique that surrounds Haigh's picture. Hard questions begin to get asked when an event from the past emerges and the very idea of how we loved someone is scrutinized.
Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Geoff (Tom Courtenay) are approaching their 45th wedding anniversary. Their 40th had to be abandoned due to Geoff needing bypass surgery so they are keen to make up for lost time. However, a letter arrives informing Geoff that the body of his former lover has been found in the Swiss Alps after 50 years. Unsure of how to take the news Kate attempts to comfort and understand her husband's grief. What follows will put a hard strain on what was supposed to be a glorious occasion.
Through Haigh's picture, 45 Years its audiences are always second guessing precisely what occurred on that Alpine trail 50 years prior? Geoff and Kate are an ordinary and childless couple who have settled into old age well. When the fated letter arrives, it opens up a can of worms that give Kate cause to doubt her husband. Geoff is honest with her in his opinions that he would have likely married his old girlfriend. Through one segment when he voices his suspicions that his girlfriend seemed a little over friendly their tour guide, an element of mystique washes over. Within the space of days, this marriage that was so contented has a heavy fracture from which it will be hard to recover.
Haigh (who co-wrote the script) gives the dialogue a wonderfully natural feel and this pair are like any couple you would have grown up knowing. There is also a wonderful sense of humour to be found such as the pairs fruitless attempt to make love. Love is still there but Haigh lets the spark gradually fizzle down as the doubt sets in. Kate wants to believe her husband, but looking through an old set of slides from the fated trips gives a more horrifying idea of what potentially went down. The hopes and fears that they share together become more one-sided as time ticks on. Smartly, Haigh gives events a more sinister feel from the simplest of thing. Just why is Geoff rushing to the attic to look at mementos in the middle of the night? And just why does he want to go all the way the Switzerland?
The anniversary dinner has emotions charged highest in 45 Years because although the pair plays happy couple, below the surface it is likely a different tale. Haigh's final shot will stay long in the memory as in a long unedited take (one of many) we see a tidal wave of emotions wash over the face of Kate. Their dancing has become distant, their moves do not flow with the passion of yester years. Soundtracked to 'The Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' it is a hypnotic ending with a side of love gradually sinking. What does this scene symbolize? The meaning of this will go on debated, but it is such an effortless yet poignant moment for a couple facing an uncertain future.
After deserved Oscar nomination this week, Charlotte Rampling is electrifying as Kate. Throughout she draws her audience into gradual disillusion and her performance is a masterclass in restraint. As her husband becomes more obsessed with his lost love, her smiles become forced and she begins to question how genuine their love has been. Courtenay also rings in a strong performance as Geoff and his buttoned-up approach gives a wonderful secrecy. Together the pair makes one of the strongest offerings you will see this year.
45 Years is a movie that any couple should view as compulsory because aside from being a brilliantly acted and directed drama, it will serve as a warning about the effect secrets can have on a marriage!
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