Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

45 Years Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov January 11, 2016

Winner of Silver Berlin Bear Awards for Best Actor and Best Actress, Andrew Haigh's "45 Years" (2015) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; filmed Q&A session with Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, director Andrew Haigh, and producer Tristan Goligher; and audio commentary with Andrew Haigh and Tristan Goligher. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The couple

From afar it seems like their relationship is as strong as it has ever been. They have grown older but have not stopped loving each other. They both look happy.

But a letter, written in German, reveals a weakness. The letter is addressed to Geoff (Tom Courtenay, Doctor Zhivago, Billy Liar) and confirms that someone has discovered the body of a woman in a glacier somewhere in the Swiss mountains. The woman has been dead for more than forty-five years, but her body is in perfect condition.

The letter upsets Kate (Charlotte Rampling, Night Train to Lisbon, Swimming Pool) but she tries to remain calm before Geoff. They never met but Kate knows the woman -- Geoff was madly in love with her before he married Kate. It took them a long time to remove her from their relationship, but the letter has brought her back in.

In a few days Geoff and Kate are supposed to celebrate their wedding anniversary, but the letter has killed their desire to be part of their own party and now all they want to do is be alone with their thoughts. They do not want to openly admit it, but the letter has also made them question their love. Was it as pure as they thought it was? Was it as strong as they assumed it was? And was it the love they wanted to experience while they could still choose a direction in their lives?

Andrew Haigh’s latest film, 45 Years, is deceivingly simple. Initially, it seems like it will chronicle a fairly predictable phase of a long relationship that has been tested many times over the years. As Geoff and Kate begin discussing the letter it becomes clear that they trust each other and know exactly how the other would react; after forty-five years of marriage they feel that nothing can surprise them anymore. But the honest answers do and they both begin reevaluating their relationship.

Then more surprises emerge that gradually force Geoff and Kate out of their comfort zones. Now they look quite awkward because people like them are already immune to the pain of love and loss -- or are they?

The final act is very fluid and gives the viewer the freedom to decide the future of Geoff and Kate’s relationship. There are three, possibly even four different scenarios that would make perfect sense. The best one will vary between viewers from different age groups.

Courtenay and Rampling are wonderful together. There is warmth and sincerity between them that will surely force some viewers to compare their characters to Erland Josephson and Liv Ullmann’s characters in Ingmar Bergman’s Saraband.

The film has an appropriately casual atmosphere, but there are a few sequences where some panoramic shots linger a bit too long. They don’t come as naturally as they were obviously intended and as a result the desired effect is lost.

The film does not have a prominent soundtrack, but music has an essential role in it. In one of the best sequences Rampling performs a beautiful piano piece by Liszt.

45 Years Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Andrew Haigh's 45 Years arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Curzon Artificial Eye.

The overwhelming majority of the film looks remarkably sharp, with well-lit close-ups in particular looking very impressive. Clarity and image depth are excellent, through some small inherited fluctuations exist. Colors are natural and rich, never breaking down. Contrast levels remain stable. Overall image stability is outstanding. During a couple of sequences in which light is restricted some extremely small compression artifacts try to sneak in, but they never become distracting. All in all, this is a fine presentation of Andrew Haigh's new film which makes it quite easy to enjoy it at home. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

45 Years Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and LPCM 2.0. Also included is a Descriptive Audio LPCM 2.0 track. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The gap in quality between the 5.1 track and the 2.0 track is minimal at best. Indeed, the film has a simple organic sound design and clarity and depth are identical on both tracks. The range of nuanced dynamics is quite modest. The dialog is stable, clean, and always easy to follow. There are no audio dropouts or distortions to report in our review.

45 Years Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for 45 Years. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

• Q&A - presented here is a filmed Q&A session with actors Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, director Andrew Haigh, and producer Tristan Goligher. The shared information addresses David Constantine's short story and the production history of the film, the relationship between the two characters, the film's visual style and atmosphere, etc. The session is moderated by Time Out film editor Dave Calhoun. In English, not subtitled. (12 min).

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, director Andrew Haigh and producer Tristan Goligher explain in detail detail where and how different sequences from 45 Years were shot, and discuss important editing choices, the different dilemmas the two characters face as their relationship evolves, the interesting finale, etc.

45 Years Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Andrew Haigh's new film will make you think what it means to be in love and question whether true love can last forever. If you are really honest with yourself, it is almost certain that you are going to come up with a few surprising answers, and then ponder a few of the dilemmas the two protagonists are presented with. Curzon Artificial Eye's technical presentation of 45 Years is good. RECOMMENDED.