The beauty is in the details. 45 Years is a masterful study in human emotion. It is the story of Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Geoff (Tom Courtenay), a couple in their 60s, five days from their 45th anniversary. They are sweet with each other and excited for the party they have planned. But a letter has arrived for Geoff with news that the body of his first love has been found frozen (and more important) perfectly preserved (at age 26) in an Alpine glacier. Here’s the tension. Here’s where meaning lives. And meaning is everywhere—in the wind, in the way Geoff holds his hands, in the tiny twitches of doubt in Kate’s face. The movie shows, it doesn’t tell. It is up to us to understand, and therefore, to feel. Not just for Kate and her slowly breaking heart, but for Geoff whose heart broke long ago and is clearly breaking again. We note the symbols, the things that show us the characters’ inner pain—a Swiss watch in a shop window, a mountain range in a painting. And listen to the music—Young girl get out of my mind… It is all so excruciatingly sad.
The movie ends with the party, Geoff and Kate’s first dance during which Kate’s whole journey seems to replay across her face. We wait with bated breath for the song to end, for the resolution to come. But if we are listening, we already know what it will be.
Should You See It? Yes. Like Rampling herself, it’s a beauty.
Viewed at Landmark Plaza Frontenac
