Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay play a couple approaching their 45th wedding anniversary and a celebratory party. The week before, a letter arrives that stirs up emotions from his past and brings the sincerity of their marriage into question. Rampling has received an Oscar nom for her underplayed performance, but it’s the entire movie that’s reserved and unsentimental. We watch them mundanely go about their daily interactions with a deliberate pace. Nothing about the film is especially affected or emotional. There are quiet observations and lots of her looking (into mirrors, fields, waterways). I found it tasteful and Rampling lovely, but the underplayed drama and objective direction made me impatient and underwhelmed.
(3 / 5)