Every couple of years, the Motion Picture Academy hands out “career nominations” to performers who have had distinguished careers but have never managed to be recognized with an Oscar bid. Typically, the actor’s performance is good but not one that would have been considered Oscar-worthy if delivered by an actor 20 or 30 years younger. Thus, in 2009, an 80-year-old Christopher Plummer got his first Oscar nomination for The Last Station. Ironically, Plummer would win the Supporting Actor Oscar two years later, beating out, among others, an 81-year-old Max Von Sydow, who received his only Oscar nomination to date that year.
This year, Charlotte Rampling has received what might at first glance appear to be a career nomination. She’s the right age, her body of work has been consistently praised but never formally acknowledged, and she stars in an obscure film, 45 Years, about which the general public is completely unaware. But Rampling’s nomination is highly deserved, and the public should be aware of 45 Years. Indeed, the irony of her nomination is that if more people had seen the film, she might well be a favorite for the Oscar in a few weeks.
45 Years deals with a universal theme, communication (or, more precisely, the lack thereof) in a marriage. Rampling plays Kate Mercer, who has enjoyed life in a fairly quiet British town and a seemingly happy marriage for almost 45 years to Geoff, a now-retired factory manager. The couple are making plans for a gala anniversary party scheduled for the upcoming weekend, one that was originally scheduled for their 40th anniversary but was then postponed due to Geoff’s emergency surgery. Or, rather, Kate is making plans while the fairly quiet Geoff continues to putter around the house, as has been his wont.
Their tranquility is shattered when Geoff receives a letter from Swiss authorities informing him that the body of Katja, his old girlfriend, has been found buried in a glacier. The two of them had gone to Switzerland on an extended, casual trip, the aimless sort of jaunt young couples without responsibility often take, that occurred several years before he met Kate. While on a hike, Katja literally fell off the side of the mountain into the glacier, and her body was never found, until now. In fact, Geoff may or may not have even mentioned Katja to Kate during their lengthy marriage (the movie is intriguingly ambiguous about many details like this). In any event, Kate is unaware of the depth of the affection Geoff felt for Katja.
As the week goes on, the couple grow more distant from each other. Geoff starts smoking again, even though he had a bypass operation a few years earlier. He also sneaks off into the attic late at night to look at old photos and memorabilia that had been stored away for years. Finally, he makes plans to travel to Switzerland without telling Kate. She too goes off by herself on a boat ride down the canals near the town, brooding and reflecting on the turn of events. Geoff finally admits to her that he probably would have married Katja if she hadn’t died, but insists his ancient feelings have no bearing on his love for Kate. Finally, Kate learns something about Katja that puts her entire marriage in a whole different light, and she wonders whether Geoff ever loved her.
45 Years was written and directed by Andrew Haigh, a relative novice, but the movie is a remarkably subtle work. It’s essentially a two-person piece (it could easily have been made into a play) that’s told from the point of view of only one of the characters. Thus, while Kate bares herself emotionally for the camera, the audience only sees Geoff as Kate does. His absences are unexplained and even the few explanations he does offer to Kate are unconvincing, leaving both Kate and the audience to wonder what he’s doing and what he feels.
Actually, based on what Haigh chooses to reveal, Geoff’s actions have several interpretations. It’s not surprising that a man would be badly shaken by the death of his girlfriend literally in front of his eyes, and being faced with the event some 50 years later would be equally upsetting. It’s also understandable that he would choose to downplay that relationship in talking with the woman who eventually became his wife. The real question, the one that Kate chooses to answer in the worst way possible, is to what degree, consciously or unconsciously, he chose Kate as a surrogate for Katja. Obviously, open communication would have brought out the answers, but the tragedy of 45 Years is that, despite being married for that length of time, Kate and Geoff are simply incapable of having a frank discussion on the most important of topics.
45 Years is a solid piece of work with a very good screenplay. However, it will be remembered for its lead performances. Tom Courtenay is very good in a difficult role, as he is only seen through the filter of another person’s eyes, and what could have been some of his most revealing scenes simply don’t appear on screen because of the way the script is written.
But the movie really belongs to Charlotte Rampling. She is a powerful force onscreen, even though many of her scenes have little dialogue. The last scene in the movie, as she and Courtenay dance at their party is a remarkable piece of physical acting. As the dance goes on, and a happy Courtenay is completely oblivious because he can’t see her face as they embrace, Rampling sorts out her feelings and comes to a final conclusion in a devastating reaction shot.
Because of the well-deserved acclaim that Charlotte Rampling has received for her role, 45 Years has been dismissed by many as simply a star vehicle. It’s considerably more than that. This is an excellently crafted, well written, subtle film that speaks to anyone who is or has been in a relationship. And, more simply put, it’s one of the best movies of the year.
