the audience applauded

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

If you like slow movies, go for it. I found it so boring that I had to read a couple of articles in my newspaper while watching it. And I still didn't miss anything. Even what's supposed to be peak suspension doesn't create much suspension (at least not for me, but other viewers apparently had a different impression).

I commend the actors in this film who were strong enough to push through this lame premise.After 45 years of marriage, the idea that a dead ex-girlfriend would cause such a rift in a marriage is hard to believe. Hats off to the two main leads who were able to pull this off.I just wasn't able to sympathize with the characters over this situation. It was really much ado about nothing.

45 Years is a almost a theatrical film, with not many characters and a slow-burning, subtle but powerful exploration of couple dynamics, the nature of love and trust, the weight of the past on the present, and who truly are those people with whom we share our lives. There is also a pointy finger to the social façade that many couples show to the world, which is not always as rosy or perfect when they are behind closed doors.We get to know this apparently exemplary couple, Geoff and Kate Mercer, who have been married for 45 years and are approaching the celebration of their 45th wedding anniversary, content with their lives, caring, and loving. Until some news related to Geoff's past arrive and open a Pandora's box filled of smells of another woman, a love story that was more powerful that initially seems, and the ramifications that the story had on Geoff's marrying Kate. After the box in open, we get to see the real nature and strength of their relationship.One of the main virtues of the film is, paradoxically, one of its most bugging disappointments: the ambiguity of feelings the viewer experiences about the unfolding events. We get to know the past story, and some of the ramifications on the Swiss love story on Geoff & Kate's love story. However, we don't know why a story that happened so long ago, before the couple met, is hitting Kate so harshly. We get to live, in a way, the same doubts and mixed feelings she feels about the sincerity and integrity of her husband's love, feelings, and openness in their relationship: was she a rebound or was he really in love with her when they married? Why did he hide everything? Why is he's still hiding things and laying about everything? Why is he so distressed about a person he met 40+ years ago? Can she really trust him? On the other hand, we don't really know what is behind Geoff's secrecy and moodiness either: Did Geoff hide his past to Kate on purpose? Did he just want to put the past behind and move on afresh with her? Is his current behavior the result of his inability to deal with his emotions? Or is it a reminder of what life was and would have been like with the other woman? Does he really love Kate? Did he love Kate when he married her?These annoying doubts create a subtle emotional tension that bugs you inside, without any dramatic scene needed to be created. After all, things that destroy a relationship the most aren't always the fights or dramas, but the unsettling feelings of distrust, disrespect, lack of communication and lack of openness of those people with whom we share our lives. At the end of the film, I found that it was OK for us not to know anything for sure. The lack of knowledge produces an unsettling feeling in the viewer, and you get to say (or at least I did) you can never get to know anybody fully, no matter s/he is your partner, parent or offspring, there is always more to any person than meets the eye, and you should never ask people for their secrets as you might not be able to deal with their answer. Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay are great in their respective roles, looking their age and playing being elderly with grace and verisimilitude.

This film is one I heard about when it came out but I only just caught it on Netflix two years later. I wasn't disappointed. The acting of Charlotte Rampling as Kate and Tom Courtenay as Geoff gives this grim but beautiful film much of its impact. Married for 45 years and preparing to celebrate an anniversary party that was postponed five years earlier, they find themselves lifted back in time to a long lost love of Geoff. The body of the young woman has been found frozen in the Swiss Alps. Geoff informs Kate (Rampling's character) that they were travelling together when her accidental death occurred, before he and Kate knew each other. Geoff and his onetime girlfriend were also posing as a married couple to maintain a certain respectability. With this sudden news, Kate and Geoff experience a palpable jolt in their relationship. They have been living a comfortable life in the marshy countryside northeast of London. They have no children and are well known in their village. The foggy flatlands are well captured and the stark landscape adds to the haunting and eerie feeling conveyed by the two characters. Tensions build as Geoff takes to exploring his attic for old keepsakes and suddenly talking openly about the love he once shared with another. Kate's anxiety grows as the wedding anniversary approaches. Their nerves are frayed but they appear happy at the well attended party. At the end, it is hard to know the actual impact on the marriage but we know that some serious questions will arise. It is gratifying to see Tom Courtenay, an angry young man of 1960's British cinema and Charlotte Rampling, another great actor, who performed with Allan Bates, Lynn Redgrave and Michael Caine. This is a movie that stays with you after viewing it, a compliment to the story and its great cast.