It's the week before Geoff (Tony Courtenay) and Kate's (Charlotte Rampling) 45th wedding anniversary. We immediately see a picture of a strong, happy, and contented marriage, the elderly childless couple enjoying retirement in their cozy Norfolk suburban home. Then a letter arrives, and the first crack in their 45 years of marriage appears.
The German letter announces that the body of Geoff's ex-girlfriend Katya has been found in the Swiss Alps, 50 years after her death. The news greatly impacts Geoff, making him agitated, distracted. He retreats into the past and relives with vividness and clarity his and Katya's days as lovers.
Andrew Haigh's naturalistic British romantic drama is subtle and understated, yet sharp, painful, and emotionally charged. Rampling and Courtenay both deliver exemplary performance; the nuances, the body language, the tiny gestures, the eyes, the words unspoken.
As the 45th anniversary party approaches, Kate's doubt and fear escalate as Geoff becomes more and more distant, internal and secretive, and the horrors are revealed as she picks up revelations along the way. And as we wait for the 45th wedding anniversary, the culmination, we wait with bated breath: will Geoff's love for Kate be validated?
As the 45th anniversary party approaches, Kate's doubt and fear escalate as Geoff becomes more and more distant, internal and secretive, and the horrors are revealed as she picks up revelations along the way. And as we wait for the 45th wedding anniversary, the culmination, we wait with bated breath: will Geoff's love for Kate be validated?
Based on David Constantine's short story "In Another Country," 45 Years is more than jealousy over your partner's ex. Such is the emotional complexity in Haigh's understated but gripping marital drama. The conflict is compelling, intelligent, wherein the third party's presence is powerful.
In just a span of one week, a 45-year marriage may or may not dramatically turn upside down. And even if you're with someone for decades, you will never really know a person and his internal world. The ending is explosive.
In just a span of one week, a 45-year marriage may or may not dramatically turn upside down. And even if you're with someone for decades, you will never really know a person and his internal world. The ending is explosive.
4.5 out of 5 stars
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