The Vernon Film Society will show the acclaimed movie 45 Years Monday, Feb. 29 at the Towne Cinema.
The movie features two legends of English movie making, Charlotte Rampling (Never Let Me Go) and Tom Courtenay (Quartet) in writer-director Andrew Haigh’s much anticipated follow-up to his hit Weekend.
Retired couple Geoff (Courtenay) and Kate Mercer (Rampling) pass their days quietly on their country property near a small Norfolk village.
One day, Geoff receives a letter notifying him that the body of an old girlfriend has been discovered, perfectly preserved in the Swiss Alps where she fell on their hiking trip nearly 50 years earlier.
As the couple prepare for their 45th wedding anniversary party, tensions rise as Geoff is drawn back into the past, while Kate becomes consumed by jealousy and uncertainty. Kate begins to contemplate the “what ifs” of her life, which gradually lead her to the realization that maybe it was she who made a mistake all those years ago.
Background music is important to the story as the couple deal with the situation, looking at their lives over the course of their marriage while the film builds to its poignant finale.
Courtenay and Rampling deliver performances that can easily be counted among the best in their respective careers. Rampling has been nominated for a Best Actress award at this year’s Oscars.
At once restrained and powerful, 45 Years is a reminder of film’s ability to encompass a lifetime of emotion and experience within a mere 90 minutes.
Mark Kermode, of The Guardian, wrote: “Superbly nuanced performances from Rampling and Courtenay and exquisite direction by Andrew Haigh, who also co-wrote the film, turn an apparently everyday story of a marriage in quiet crisis into something rather extraordinary.”
Monday’s screenings are at 5:15 and 7:45 p.m. Tickets are $7 (cash) available in advance at the Towne box office and The Bean Scene.