Lucas Versantvoort / 28 Sep 2015
45 Years to me is what would've happened if someone
like, say, Mike Leigh directed Rebecca. Sure, you lose the rather gothic
theatricality of Hitchcock's adaptation, but you gain that sense of
everydayness a la Leigh. And that's where that subtle potency comes from. Make
no mistake, this is a slow-paced affair, but an intense one nonetheless.
Kate and Geoff have been married for
almost 45 years and they're somewhat reluctantly planning a big celebration
where family and friends can come together and make merry. They have no
children and live comfortably in the provincial English landscape. Then, a week
before the party, a letter arrives from Switzerland: the authorities have
discovered the body of his lover, Katya, from 50 years ago. She accidentally
fell into a crevasse and the ice has preserved her body for all these years.
Now, she's all he can talk about. Geoff starts living in the past and Kate will
find herself reexamining her entire marriage.
That last sentence sums up the
entire film, but don't let that dissuade you from seeing it. The attention to
detail is astounding. You really get a sense of how this dead woman is haunting
this marriage. Her presence is felt in every line Geoff utters, in everything
that is said and not said. Watching this agonizingly slow disintegration
of a marriage is both engaging and sad. Both Rampling and Courtenay are
excellent here and manage to convey a lot with very little, particularly
Rampling who has many scenes where she's just looking on and we're left to
guess what's going through her mind.
The film is long enough as is, but
it may have been better if there existed a few marital scenes before the
fateful letter is delivered. That way, the contrast between these two periods
(before and after the letter) would've been clearer and the emotional impact
might've been greater for us as well.
It doesn't have the most replay
value I've ever seen. Watching a marriage disintegrate with the speed of
dial-up internet access isn't most people's idea of a good time I imagine, but
it is interesting, very well made and doesn't spell anything out (a
sure-fire sign a film treats its audience with at least a modicum of respect).
If you like slow-burn examinations of relationships/marriage, then this one's
for you.
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