45 Years

Director: Andrew Haigh
Year Released: 2015
Rating: 3.0

Geoff (Tom Courtenay) and Kate (Charlotte Rampling) are planning an anniversary party to celebrate their forty-fifth year of marriage - he was ill for their fortieth - but when he receives word that they discovered the body of an old girlfriend, Katya, this makes Kate question their entire relationship and whether or not she was 'good enough' for him. Filmmakers are so allergic to making films about older people it's good to see Haigh - who's best known for making movies with LGBT themes - venture into rare territory, and it's even better that he treats this with care and compassion (it's also gorgeously shot), veering away from overstatement and allowing his two storied performers to do their thing (a sex scene between them is also done with tenderness). My only major concern with it is why Rampling's character is so shaken with jealousy and insecurity after so many years with the same man (who truly loves her, but she's blind to it) - my parents have been married for a little over forty years so I asked my Mom (the day after screening this) whether she was ever bothered by my Father's ex-girlfriends: her response was, "Why should I be? They were tramps."