45 YEARS
SPECIAL PRESENTATION D: Andrew Haigh. UK. 94 min. Sep 15, 3:30 pm Winter Garden Sep 16, 5 pm TIFF Bell Lightbox 1. See listings. Rating: NNNN
Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay deliver an acting clinic on how to convey big emotions with huge restraint in this near two-hander from Haigh (Weekend).
On the eve of Kate and Geoff’s 45th anniversary, Geoff receives a letter informing him that the body of his girlfriend of 50 years ago has been found. Kate’s known about the ex, but Geoff’s strange behaviour – suddenly seeming to long for his youth, rifling through old photos – plants the seeds of doubt that could unravel the relationship.
Haigh gives the film a gorgeous melancholy tone and shoots long takes in tight close-up so we’re aware of every twitch and blink. But it’s the actors who create the most magic, Courtenay smoking furtively, speaking in broken cadences – notice his walk as he exits a liquid lunch – and Rampling conveying a wave of feeling without uttering a word.
