Movie Review - 45 Years

45 Years **½ (out of 5) (R) Depending on your age and mood, this will strike you in either of two ways: a bland drama about an old British couple dealing with news from the past just before celebrating their 45th anniversary; or a fine, subtle showcase for a pair of old pros (Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay), giving lessons in how to make a slim script keep us in its grasp without much overt action, or emotional outbursts. They excel between the lines... for those keeping score in acting class or an art-house theater.

The two have shared a quietly satisfying life, in a quiet, comfortable home, in a quiet, peaceful village, free of children and other sources of strife. But when a letter arrives, advising that the body of a woman he dated before meeting Charlotte had just been found in the Swiss Alps, that idyllic life suddenly feels different to Rampling. It’s not about whether foul play made him available back then, but questions about how he had felt about this former companion, and what that meant about the depth of his love for her throughout their life together.

That obsession seems rather dated, given how few of us mate for life with our “first love” these days. But Rampling makes it feel genuine and character-appropriate, even if that mind-set would have typified Victorian times (and novels) more than the last 50 years of Western culture. Some years from now, scholars of British film history will lament how Rampling was regrettably overshadowed by the likes of Judi Dench, Helen Mirren and Maggie Smith within her generation, even though her talents were comparable to theirs. They’ll point to 1974’s The Night Porter and this role as examples of what she could have brought to any set at any age. (1/29/16)