MARILYN PENN: A REVIEW OF THE MOVIE “45 YEARS”
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There are strong parallels between “45 Years” and “Away From Her,” a movie starring Julie Christie, written and directed by Sarah Polley and based on a short story by Alice Munro (”The Bear Came Over the Mountain”). “45Years” stars two other well-known actors from the 60’s – Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, was written and directed by Andrew Haigh and adapted from a short story by David Constantine (”In Another Country”). Furthering the link, viewers of a certain age will remember an exuberant Tom Courtenay and an exhilarating Julie Christie in a breakout performance in “Billy Liar.” Both “45 Years” and “Away From Her” deal with the dissolving threads of a long marriage; one triggered by the unexpected imposition of a tragic past love and one by the torments of dementia as it robs its victim of her very identity.
“45 Years” centers on the quiet intimacy between Kate and Geoff Mercer, a retired couple whose lives consist of walks with their dog, shared meals and time spent at home listening to music and reading. When a letter written in German arrives, we see the power of a withheld secret begin to erode the bond between husband and wife and eat away at each of them differently. All the action and revelations take place within one week that is scheduled to culminate in a party for their 45th wedding anniversary. These two are portrayed as very low-keyed, unpretentious people who don’t like to socialize much and who, at their own wedding, resented the notion of a special table for the bride and groom. One of the changes made in the screen adaption was framing a story about internal emotions around a too-large, too-festive party. These characters wouldn’t have wanted to even attend such an event, much less host it. It becomes difficult to reconcile the cranky personality of the scruffy husband with the tuxedo-clad bon vivant willing to make public proclamations about his feelings for his wife. Similarly one wonders who created the invitation list for this party – surely not the solitary, introverted Kate who eschewed the demands of raising children because her life consisted of a very tiny bond of two.
Charlotte Rampling’s performance is understated and unhistrionic, yet she succeeds in making us understand what she learns (spoiler that I won’t reveal) through her facial expressions and small vocal utterances. Tom Courtenay abandons the charm and humor that have characterized so many of his performances and leaves us yearning for more indications of what attracted these two to each other and held them fast for so many years. The filmmaker does a disservice to the original story by transposing it from the era of World War II to the sixties, perhaps in order to incorporate the music of that decade or perhaps to not let that backstory overshadow the subtlety of the much smaller study of two people whose relationship is perilously upended. Despite these small cavils, this is a thoughtful and penetrating film that leaves you with much to consider and discuss. After you have seen it, listen to the original author read his own story, pretend you are back in school and compare and contrast. Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch
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