When I first heard about the movie 45 Years I wasn’t all that interested, I thought I knew what it was going to be about, how wrong I was. I don’t want you to make the same mistake.
Thanks to Madman
45 Years takes a look into the very normal lives of Kate Mercer (Charlotte Rampling) and her husband Geoff (Tom Courtenay) as they prepare for their 45th wedding anniversary. The movie counts down the last seven days until the big party on Saturday night.
One week before the party Geoff receives a letter containing news about the body of a young woman found in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. As the preparations for the party continue Geoff is invited back to the Alps to identify the body of the young woman, but why?
Geoff’s matter of fact admission that the young woman was the love of his life prior to meeting Kate, explains the invitation, but makes Kate curious. Late night discussions see Geoff satisfy Kate’s curiosity, but not his own which soon morphs into preoccupation.
With the past uncovered what of the future?
45 Years was a sheer delight and nothing like my preconceived notion of the usual, ‘man has affair’ story that I’ve heard way too many times now. It was a slow moving exploration of a tender love maintained over the decades. But what happens when the foundations of a life long love is rocked to it’s core?
Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay are utterly believable and beautiful as the charming couple you’ll fall in love with.
Winner of Best Actor and Best Actress awards at the Berlinale Film Festival, 45 years is a brilliant movie right up to the very last second when one small movement leaves you questioning the future.
Thanks to Madman
As the credits rolled I pondered …
- How do you compete with the ghosts of relationships past, especially when one is a dead lover?
- How many relationships, be they love or friendship, can survive beyond the revelation of a deep secret and how many fade away?
45 Years will be on at the Paradiso and Windsor Cinemas soon so keep watch here