Review of 45 Years (2015) by Pontefractious — 19 Jan 2016

A teacher and a factory manager who has climbed his way up from the shop floor are retired and shortly to celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary. News comes that the body of a long ago girlfriend has emerged from a glacier in Switzerland. Little by little we learn that she died in an accident, that they were in love, that he has kept photos and mementos (in contrast to the 45 years of his marriage where they have nothing), and that she was expecting. The film is the story of the impact that this revelation has on the couple's relationship.

Most reviews have focused on the relationship's deterioration and the whys and wherefors. Curiously, though some came close, to my mind not one critic got it right. To understand the process fully you must appreciate that when these two married, distinctions of class were very much alive in the UK (some would say they still are). These two were never a good match. Perhaps the most "in your face" clue is his three failed efforts to get beyond chapter two of Kierkegaard. There are others such as Kate's expressed pleasure when he talks about bird watching. Here is not a man who enjoys intellectual pursuits. Again, his strong working class roots show in his complaint after the re-union lunch that the Len that they used to call Len-in now has a holiday home and a daughter dating/married to (I can't remember which) a banker. Jeff is clearly upset by this sell-out. But we don't really need these clues - Jeff clearly has what back then when they got married would have been considered a working class accent. And if you still need to be convinced, listen to Jeff talking during his speech at the party and referencing Kate's father's opposition to the marriage. Kate's father knew.

Kate, in contrast is educated (one critic noted that she was a head teacher). Her passage of arms with the caterer clearly indicates that she has taste and does not suffer fools gladly. But Kate has sublimated her middle class self. She must have realized at an early stage that the two of them have nothing in common. And here is the key. She has spent the last 45 years selflessly making the marriage work with precious little help from the self-centered Jeff. If pressed she would admit that it has involved sacrifice but it has paid off since they are still together. And then this happens. Kate gradually comes to the conclusion that that lifetime of sacrifice has been for nothing. The fragile marriage she has sought to preserve is meaningless. She has thrown her life away on someone who settled for her when his first love died. Self-centered Jeff doesn't even realize there has been a sacrifice and wouldn't understand it, still less appreciate it, even if he did. Yes, the revival of old and deep memories has had a strong effect on him. But he doesn't understand why Kate should be affected in any way. And there is the real story. Kate feels that her whole life has been wasted. Not surprising that she is beyond being upset. Not surprising that that sentimental cloying speech of Jeff''s did nothing to reduce the pain. And what a perfect ending when Kate snatches her hand away. Perhaps the most eloquent gesture in film since Jonathan Pryce checked his watch at his mother's funeral in Ploughman's Lunch.