45 Years - film / by Stephanie Puls

I found this film boring and pretentious.

Unsurprisingly Charlotte Rampling gives an amazing performance but for me it couldn't save 45 Years and make it enjoyable. Now, I know a film doesn't have to be enjoyable to be good but frankly, I like them to be enjoyable!

Charlotte and Tom Courtenay are Kate and Geoff Mercer, a couple approaching their 45th wedding anniversary. Just in case you see it, which I can't say I'd recommend, I won't spoil it but the gist is that a previous partner of Tom comes to be a significant weight on the shoulders of their relationship.

Since I saw 45 Years I've read a bunch of reviews of it and by and large they don't agree with me. For example, 5 stars here from The Telegraph UK. This 3.5 star review in the Fairfax press in Australia is a little less complimentary.

It's only 95 minutes long but felt a lot longer to me. As the woman next to me said when she left the cinema, "How miserable!" (Her husband slept through a lot of it.)

Trailer here. In cinemas now.