Overview
A couple's long-standing marriage is tested by the resurfacing of a haunting past.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- None
- melancholic
- intimate
- restrained
- quiet evening
- reflective movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a subtle, thought-provoking portrait of marital instability, elevated by exceptional performances from Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Geoff's account of Katya's discovery makes Kate reconsider the identity and emotional history of the husband she has known for decades.
The anniversary preparations continue amid increasingly charged silences, evasions, and changes in Geoff's behavior.
The letter about Katya's body found in a melting Alpine glacier brings a fifty-year-old secret into the Mercers' present.
Kate and Geoff's changing expressions and restrained interactions convey the marriage crisis more than spectacle or exposition.
Films like 45 Years, and why
Scenes from a Marriage
shared focus on long-term marriage, buried history, emotional restraint, and quietly destabilizing domestic secrets
Amour
shared adult relationship drama, intimate realism, unresolved emotional fractures, and revelatory performances
The Remains of the Day
shared examination of memory, marital intimacy, aging, and the persistence of an absent former love
Movie Details
- Director
- Andrew Haigh
- Release Date
- 2015-05-29
- Runtime
- 95 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (808)
Cast
- Charlotte Rampling
- Tom Courtenay
- Geraldine James
- Dolly Wells
- David Sibley
- Sam Alexander
- Richard Cunningham
- Hannah Chalmers
- Camille Ucan
- Rufus Wright
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, AcornTV Amazon Channel, Acorn TV Apple TV channel
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube
- Buy
- Google Play Movies, YouTube
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is 45 Years about?
- A long marriage is quietly shaken when a buried first love resurfaces just before an anniversary celebration.
- What is 45 Years like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of 45 Years as slow, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is 45 Years violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in 45 Years.
- What did critics think of 45 Years?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a subtle, thought-provoking portrait of marital instability, elevated by exceptional performances from Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay.
- Which films are like 45 Years?
- Films with a similar feel include Scenes from a Marriage, Amour, and The Remains of the Day.
- How long is 45 Years?
- 45 Years runs 95 minutes.
- Where can I watch 45 Years?
- In United States, 45 Years streams on Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, Sundance Now, AcornTV Amazon Channel, Acorn TV Apple TV channel.
