45 Years (B+) Movie Review
45 Years stars Charlotte Rampling as Kate and Tom Courtenay as Geoff, a couple struggling in the wake of Geoff's old girlfriend's body being discovered in a glacier. As their forty-fifth anniversary approaches, character dynamics shift and new discoveries are made.
This is a profound little film, crafted with precision and a delicate hand. Andrew Haigh, director of 2011's Weekend, received critical acclaim for this film and Weekend. He also executively produced HBO's Looking. His directorial abilities are on tremendous display here, as the film is directed with a starting amount of intricacy. For example, the opening shot of the film portrays the countryside in which Kate and Geoff live. In the same shot, we see, from a distance, Kate walking her dog in the early morning. A few days later, after their lives have dramatically shifted, we see the same shot. Except in this shot, Kate and her dog are missing. This is hardly noticeable, as in the opening shot Kate and the dog were shot from a very far distance. But the absence of Kate and her dog is significant. Their lives have been disrupted and it's not only the marriage between Kate and Geoff that's been disrupted, but Kate and Geoff as individuals and their daily habits. It's this kind of precision, attention to detail, and intelligence that places 45 Years as one of the best dramas of the year.
Charlotte Rampling gives a truly stunning performance here. I would liken the performance similar to Saoirse Ronan's in Brooklyn. These two performances are both masterclasses in subtlety. Rampling is devastating here. She fully embodies the character of Kate and shows an impressive amount of restraint, producing dramatic moments that erupt only from facial expressions. Rampling is astounding here. Equally as good is Tom Courtenay, who is heartbreaking. The two play very different characters, each affected by a different tragedy. Courtenay is distraught over the body of his old girlfriend, whom he loved dearly, and Rampling is distraught over knowing that she might have always been playing second to Katya, the aforementioned old girlfriend to Geoff. There are intricate nuances to these performances that rank them as some of the best of the year.
The screenplay, written by director Andrew Haigh, is beautifully layered with realizations and shifting character dynamics. Nothing here is particularly explosive, but it's mature drama that is usually quite effective. I think there are occasional stretches, particularly in the first third, in which the silence struggles to engage the audience, but the last third is absolutely terrific and moving.
My only problem with the film is that it can be restrained to a fault on occasion. There are moments when the characters are reduced to silence to mull over their thoughts and feelings, which is often not a bad thing but it happens almost too much in 45 Years. There are a few scenes that stick out in my mind that play on a little too long, with Haigh leaving silence to carry the scene. But the final shot, which doesn't need dialogue to carry its significance, is stunning and a prime example of how to use silence in a film to great effect.
There's some kind of existential crisis here that's captured beautifully and gently. It could be the difficulty to love someone for your entire life, or it could be the difficulty to keep a marriage alive. Whatever it is, it's profound, affecting, and thought-provoking here.
45 Years is a mature, nuanced, impeccable drama, crowned by two brilliant performances by Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. The silent beats that pervade this film are not always effective, but more often than not, they are. Carrying with it a stunning ending and powerful musings on love and marriage, 45 Years is excellent.
FINAL GRADE: B+
MPAA RATING: R for language and brief sexuality
This is a profound little film, crafted with precision and a delicate hand. Andrew Haigh, director of 2011's Weekend, received critical acclaim for this film and Weekend. He also executively produced HBO's Looking. His directorial abilities are on tremendous display here, as the film is directed with a starting amount of intricacy. For example, the opening shot of the film portrays the countryside in which Kate and Geoff live. In the same shot, we see, from a distance, Kate walking her dog in the early morning. A few days later, after their lives have dramatically shifted, we see the same shot. Except in this shot, Kate and her dog are missing. This is hardly noticeable, as in the opening shot Kate and the dog were shot from a very far distance. But the absence of Kate and her dog is significant. Their lives have been disrupted and it's not only the marriage between Kate and Geoff that's been disrupted, but Kate and Geoff as individuals and their daily habits. It's this kind of precision, attention to detail, and intelligence that places 45 Years as one of the best dramas of the year.
Charlotte Rampling gives a truly stunning performance here. I would liken the performance similar to Saoirse Ronan's in Brooklyn. These two performances are both masterclasses in subtlety. Rampling is devastating here. She fully embodies the character of Kate and shows an impressive amount of restraint, producing dramatic moments that erupt only from facial expressions. Rampling is astounding here. Equally as good is Tom Courtenay, who is heartbreaking. The two play very different characters, each affected by a different tragedy. Courtenay is distraught over the body of his old girlfriend, whom he loved dearly, and Rampling is distraught over knowing that she might have always been playing second to Katya, the aforementioned old girlfriend to Geoff. There are intricate nuances to these performances that rank them as some of the best of the year.
The screenplay, written by director Andrew Haigh, is beautifully layered with realizations and shifting character dynamics. Nothing here is particularly explosive, but it's mature drama that is usually quite effective. I think there are occasional stretches, particularly in the first third, in which the silence struggles to engage the audience, but the last third is absolutely terrific and moving.
My only problem with the film is that it can be restrained to a fault on occasion. There are moments when the characters are reduced to silence to mull over their thoughts and feelings, which is often not a bad thing but it happens almost too much in 45 Years. There are a few scenes that stick out in my mind that play on a little too long, with Haigh leaving silence to carry the scene. But the final shot, which doesn't need dialogue to carry its significance, is stunning and a prime example of how to use silence in a film to great effect.
There's some kind of existential crisis here that's captured beautifully and gently. It could be the difficulty to love someone for your entire life, or it could be the difficulty to keep a marriage alive. Whatever it is, it's profound, affecting, and thought-provoking here.
45 Years is a mature, nuanced, impeccable drama, crowned by two brilliant performances by Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. The silent beats that pervade this film are not always effective, but more often than not, they are. Carrying with it a stunning ending and powerful musings on love and marriage, 45 Years is excellent.
FINAL GRADE: B+
MPAA RATING: R for language and brief sexuality