45 YEARS

UK, 2015, 90 minutes, Colour.
Charlotte Rampling, Tom Courtenay, Geraldine James.
Directed by Andrew Haigh.

45 Years is one of those quiet and modest dramas that has quite an effect on its audience.

The 45 Years of the title are those of the married life of the central protagonists, Kate and Jeff. The film takes place over a week, a week of preparation for the weekend celebration of the marriage. Captions are given for the day by day drama.

Katie and Geoff seem a typical enough English couple. They are played most effectively, with a great deal of understatement, by Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. It is not a surprise to learn that they won awards at the Berlin Film Festival for Best Actress and Best Actor.

Andrew Haigh, who wrote and directed a perceptive gay story, Weekend, and was responsible for the television series, Looking, has a fine sense of the lives of ordinary people, men and women, in ordinary British cities like Norwich. More of the attention goes to Kate, the audience looking at Geoff and situations through her eyes. Normally, the week would have been very ordinary. Kate walks her dog in the morning, greets her neighbours, goes to the hall where this celebration will be held to check out that all, including the songs, is ready, has conversations with her friend Lila (Geraldine James), urges Geoff to go to a dinner for workers at the factory where he spent such a long time. But, at the beginning of the film, something happens which surprises both Kate and Geoff and the film moves into something of a modest secrets and lies story.

Geoff receives news that the body has been found of a young woman who fell into a crevasse in the Swiss Alps, Geoff with her at the time. Her body had been preserved in the ice all this time and Geoff is asked to come to identify her body as next of kin. What follows is Kate’s surprise to learn something of the rather more intense relationship than she had thought between Geoff and the young woman, as well as Geoff wondering whether he should go to Switzerland.

The couple work through these revelations, especially after Kate rummages in the attic and finds photos from that time, surprising her even more. It is not as if there were a great mystery. Rather, it is Kate ruminating on the 45 years of marriage given these previous events and her not knowing the detail during the years.

In some ways, this is Mike Leigh territory, but Andrew Haigh has made a much more gentle film, exploring the characters and their interactions, of two people who might well live up the street.

1. The title, the passing of years, marriage, the long time?

2. The Norfolk setting, Norwich, the visuals, the house, the shops in the streets, the celebration, the factory?

3. The musical score? The selection of songs for the celebration, throughout the film, dancing, memories? Smoke gets in your eyes?

4. The marriage, love, the initial choice, commitment, the years? Secrets from the past, the revelation, the effect? Shared or not over the years? The effect
of the secrets as the couple grew older? The revelation of the finding of the body, Geoff as next of kin, to identify the body in Switzerland? Discovered after so many years? The repercussions, deep hurt and doubt? The effect on Geoff and his memories, the revelation that he was to marry?

5. Kate’s story, Charlotte Rampling and her presence? Age, the 45 years, the story of her parents, not approving Geoff, falling in love, the wedding, the songs? Her being a teacher and the references, the neighbour with the twins, the syllabus? Retired? The couple having no children? Geoff and his ageing, the bypass, the 40th celebration? The ordinary life? Linda and her friendship, the discussions? The news, not knowing much about the woman, the story, the accident, rummaging in the attic, the slides, discovering Katya was pregnant and that effect? Her urging Geoff to go to the lunch, driving him? At home, the walks with the dog? Going to check the hall, its suitability? The music, the phone call? The couple happy together, the sexual encounter? The attic and the effect, Geoff in the attic? Geoff later coming home on the Friday? The reason for suspicions? Going to the travel agent?

6. Geoff, his age, love the Kate, the 45 years, the bypass, the memories of Katya, walking on the mountains, and a sudden fall, the disappearance of the body? The impact of the news, next of kin, whether he would go to Switzerland or not? 50 years earlier, in the mountains, prepared to marry Katia, pregnant? Kate and his commitment to her, the memories, but the underlying memories of Katia, the search, the photo? His moods, the sexual encounter? Not wanting to go to the lunch, his being sick on the way home? Going to the travel agent? not going to Switzerland, his health conditions?

7. Long friendship with, friendship, chatter, George and his ukelele? Lina talking about Geoff’s years?

8. Saturday, the gift, dressing, arriving, the chat, the people, Geoff and his speech, his commitment to Kate? The dancing together?

9. Geoff, his tears and his love?

10. Kate, listening to Geoff, her joy, the dance, yet the wariness and doubt on her face as the final image?