The Wrap
Because the industry loves to define by their differences any directors who aren’t straight white men, the easy takeaway from Andrew Haigh‘s exemplary work on the 2011 indie hit “Weekend” (and, later, on HBO’s “Looking”) was that the British filmmaker was talented at crafting gay love stories.
With “45 Years,” though, even the most egregious pigeonholers will amend their description of Haigh as talented, period. If anything, this haunting new drama (adapted from a short story by David Constantine) spotlights the filmmaker’s skill not merely as a chronicler of contemporary gay life, but rather as a master of the two-hander: stories with a pair of protagonists whose secrets and yearnings and backstory emerge through organic conversation.
On June 20, 1975 Steven Spielberg terrorised the inhabitants of Amity with the release of Jaws.
From Cinelinx:
When the past pops up unexpectedly shortly before a couple celebrates their 45th wedding anniversary, their entire relationship comes into question. It's an interesting premise with strong characters who paint an emotional picture.
The Atlantic
45 Years begins the way many tense mysteries do—with a dark secret being unearthed. But this is no Nordic crime thriller, or horror film about monsters emerging from the deep. The cold case that’s reopened in 45 Years is a romance, involving a long-ago love of Geoff’s (Tom Courtenay) who died in a hiking accident decades ago. The news that her body has finally been found begins Andrew Haigh’s quietly taut drama, and slowly infects Geoff’s marriage to Kate (Charlotte Rampling) just as they prepare to celebrate their 45th anniversary.
