45 Years (2015)

Touches You

best movie i've ever seen.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Jeff (Tom Courtenay) are a retired, childless couple who live in the countryside region in Norfolk, England. When Jeff receives information about a former lover long gone, the internal lives of each are affected as is their marriage.As the story is of the day-to-day lives of this couple and the various other people in their lives (plus a beautiful dog), the pace seems slow but it is always steady and intriguing thanks partly to director/writer Alexander Haigh. The many quiet scenes lead magnificently to a grand event that is familiar to many of us: a crowded anniversary party. Haigh's screenplay also includes gems about the process of aging including the reflection on how life choices change when one ages.Courtenay is very convincing as someone who withdraws due to the recall of old grief. He also has a great moment in the final scene.But it is fair to say that the movie truly belongs to Rampling. In addition to the film's narrative, she tells a parallel story of her inner life with deep facial expressions and subtle body movements. In scenes when she's with someone else, one is more inclined to watch her as she listens rather than the speaker.Whenever I note an outstanding performance (as I do below), there is usually at least one "meltdown" scene in which the performer chews the scenery. That never happens in "45 Years". But Rampling's subtlety is so powerful and unique that her performance is exceptional. Though she was born well after the end of the silent move era, she could easily have been a silent film superstar with her unique talents.OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT: Lead Performance by Charlotte Rampling

45 Years (2015) Director: Andrew Haigh Watched: April 2018 7/10 Unostentatious, Both Rampling and Courtenay, Performances that Impress with their subtleness. A British couple Leading quaint lives with dog Max, About to honor Their lifetime spent together. While making plans For grand celebration with Family and friends, Unexpectedly meet with Challenge to their love. A letter from Germany, They found her body. Informative in nature, But of course much more, Stirring up old emotions. A husband's past love, More important than once thought. Things he never told, Secrets up in the attic. Engaged and pregnant, So many decades ago. Yet it still matters. A wife's struggle to accept A past betrayal. Enthralling despite slow pace, Humor at right times, Music that strikes the right chord, English countryside Serves as beautiful background, Weather its own role. Double character study, But mostly Rampling, Close-ups on reticent face. Wished for something more From Courtenay's character. Maybe tedious, But that is how real life is. No easy answers, An unsatisfying end. Haigh shows us real life, The fragility of love. He tried in "Weekend", Succeeds with "45 Years". On incompleteness, A perceptive perspective Why history never dies. Choka (long poem) is an epic storytelling form of poetry from the Waka period, an unrhymed poem with the 5-7-5-7-5-7-5-7...7 syllable format (any odd number line length with alternating five and seven syllable lines that ends with an extra seven syllable line). #Choka #PoemReview

...once married for several decades do not pine for your former lover.

This film is one I heard about when it came out but I only just caught it on Netflix two years later. I wasn't disappointed. The acting of Charlotte Rampling as Kate and Tom Courtenay as Geoff gives this grim but beautiful film much of its impact. Married for 45 years and preparing to celebrate an anniversary party that was postponed five years earlier, they find themselves lifted back in time to a long lost love of Geoff. The body of the young woman has been found frozen in the Swiss Alps. Geoff informs Kate (Rampling's character) that they were travelling together when her accidental death occurred, before he and Kate knew each other. Geoff and his onetime girlfriend were also posing as a married couple to maintain a certain respectability. With this sudden news, Kate and Geoff experience a palpable jolt in their relationship. They have been living a comfortable life in the marshy countryside northeast of London. They have no children and are well known in their village. The foggy flatlands are well captured and the stark landscape adds to the haunting and eerie feeling conveyed by the two characters. Tensions build as Geoff takes to exploring his attic for old keepsakes and suddenly talking openly about the love he once shared with another. Kate's anxiety grows as the wedding anniversary approaches. Their nerves are frayed but they appear happy at the well attended party. At the end, it is hard to know the actual impact on the marriage but we know that some serious questions will arise. It is gratifying to see Tom Courtenay, an angry young man of 1960's British cinema and Charlotte Rampling, another great actor, who performed with Allan Bates, Lynn Redgrave and Michael Caine. This is a movie that stays with you after viewing it, a compliment to the story and its great cast.