--- title: "45 Years: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/45-years/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/45-years" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 22 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # 45 Years (2015): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 22 reviews: 21 positive, 0 mixed, 1 negative. Most critics respond warmly to 45 Years, praising Andrew Haigh’s restrained direction and the emotional force of Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay’s performances. Rampling draws particular attention for conveying jealousy and uncertainty through small gestures, fleeting expressions and silences, while Courtenay helps make the couple’s long familiarity believable. The reviews repeatedly credit Haigh’s patient attention to domestic routines with making the disruption of this marriage disturbing; several describe the unease as closer to a ghost story than a conventional relationship drama. The spread is broad chiefly because of one sharply negative response, rather than widespread disagreement. Collider acknowledges the deliberate pace but finds the performances powerful enough to sustain it, while Paste objects to a development that reduces the story’s ambiguity. The New Yorker dissents more fundamentally, arguing that the script is too tightly controlled and the direction sluggish, leaving two gifted actors little to do beyond looking troubled. ## Slant Magazine — Kenji Fujishima Rating ★★★★. 14 February 2015. Festival review. The film is basically a showcase for Haigh’s finely tuned screenplay and the performances of its two leads, with Rampling especially compelling in revealing obsessive frustration. It works in a slow-burn mode of close observation suited to the elderly characters' settled lives. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/berlinale-review-45-years-and-mr-holmes/) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Rating 5/5. 27 August 2015. The review calls the film a shattering, shivery marital drama. It singles out Charlotte Rampling's performance as never better for praise. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2016/04/14/45-years-review-charlotte-rampling-has-never-been-better/) ## The AV Club — A.A. Dowd Rating A. 21 December 2015. The film is a small work of big insights about relationships in flux, even late in life, presented as much like a ghost story as a marriage drama. Rampling gives a shattering performance through small gestures in this focused, vivid adaptation. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/the-devastating-45-years-is-as-much-a-ghost-story-as-1798186078) ## RogerEbert.com — Susan Wloszczyna Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2015. The film is a finely calibrated marital drama shaken by news of a long-dead ex-girlfriend's body recovered from a glacier. The critic singles out the subtle use of oldies music and the shattering final shot for particular admiration. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/45-years-2015) ## Empire — Ian Freer Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 August 2015. The critic calls it a brilliantly modulated character study of lives thrown off-kilter by a slowly expanding secret, praising the restraint from director and leads, Courtenay and Rampling’s terrific performances, and how small moments yield huge rewards as a quiet gem with the power to move. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/45-years-review/) ## Film Comment — Michael Koresky Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 1 December 2015. The film establishes the comfortable domestic life of a long-married couple before a letter disrupts it with news of the husband's former love. It praises the crystalline precision of Haigh's direction and the nuanced performances, particularly Rampling's. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/review-45-years-andrew-haigh/) ## IndieWire — Eric Kohn Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2015. Festival review. Rampling delivers a stunning performance in Haigh's powerful drama about a marriage altered by a revelation from the past. The film is a showcase for finely tuned screenplay and the two leads' emotional transparency. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/berlin-review-charlotte-rampling-is-stunning-in-andrew-haighs-powerful-45-years-65341/) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 December 2015. A quietly explosive film that is a potent drama with a nuanced feel for subtlety and emotional complications in a long-term marriage. The critic praises it as superb yet restrained drama of the highest order, highlighting the master class in understated acting. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-45-years-review-20151223-column.html) ## Time Out — Dave Calhoun Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2015. Festival review. This is a powerful, brilliant British drama and a haunting look at marriage and enduring love. The critic singles out the superb lead performances and the film's accumulation of small moments and tiny gestures. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/45-years-1) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 28 December 2015. The understated drama pushes marriage themes toward a kind of prickling dread and horror-film atmosphere through buried secrets rising to the surface. Rampling's face conveys the mask and its cracks with minute modulations in a film of momentously disturbing ideas. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2015/12/movie-review-andrew-haighs-45-years.html) ## Evening Standard — David Sexton Rating 4/5. 15 September 2015. The critic hails it as a tragic masterpiece and devastating portrait of a marriage hollow at its heart, praising the performances of Rampling (devastatingly good) and Courtenay as equally strong, along with Haigh’s thoughtful direction and handling of time and memory. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/45-years-film-review-torn-apart-by-time-a2922991.html) ## Little White Lies — Sophie Monks Kaufman Rating 4/4/4. 28 August 2015. Andrew Haigh's naturalistic drama about an older couple's relationship is dense with insight into long-term love and vulnerability. The critic singles out the top-form performances from Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/45-years/) ## Screen Daily Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2015. Festival review. Haigh's elegant and restrained film offers a gently devastating snapshot of a subtly fractured relationship. The critic singles out the award-deserving performances from Rampling and Courtenay and the focus on retrospective jealousy. [Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/45-years/5082791.article) ## The Hollywood Reporter — Stephen Dalton Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2015. Festival review. The film is a polished and absorbing two-hander about a long-term marriage shaken by revelations from the past. It offers rock-solid festival appeal with finely calibrated performances and deep reserves of inner torment from its veteran stars. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/45-years-berlin-review-770416/) ## The Independent Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 27 August 2015. The critic praises the film as a quiet but powerful rebuke to cosy OAP comedies, highlighting its study of jealousy, mistrust and existential angst in a long marriage. It singles out the slow-burning, enigmatic style and Rampling’s intense performance for conveying complex emotions through close-ups. [Read the review](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/45-years-film-review-tom-courtenay-and-charlotte-rampling-paint-an-intense-slowburning-picture-of-marriage-10475540.html) ## Variety — Charles Gant Fi1m's normalised score 75/100 (inferred from the text). 6 February 2015. Festival review. Haigh’s assured and compassionate third feature depicts a retired couple questioning their relationship in the run-up to their anniversary after news of the husband’s ex-fiancée. The critic singles out the rich dividends paid by the casting of Courtenay and Rampling for their economical, vivid performances. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/festivals/berlin-film-review-45-years-1201424789/) ## The New Yorker — Richard Brody Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 2015. The portentous drama milks the talent of Rampling and Courtenay in a story of corrosive distrust after news of the husband’s past relationship. The critic complains that the airtight script and sluggish direction leave the actors with little to do but look earnest and troubled. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/goings-on-about-town/movies/45-years) ## Financial Times — Danny Leigh 27 August 2015. The film is described as an expertly uneasy ghost story about a humdrum couple whose marriage is shaken by news from the past. The critic singles out Haigh’s miniaturist gift for nuance and the immaculate performances by Rampling and Courtenay for praise. [Read the review](https://www.ft.com/content/2c29d288-4ca8-11e5-b558-8a9722977189) ## Sight and Sound — Roger Clarke 26 August 2015. Haigh delivers a masterly follow-up to Weekend in which a shard of ice pierces a long marriage. The critic singles out the stunning performances from Rampling and Courtenay along with the film's subtle, wintry sound design and imagery. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-45-years) ## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw 27 August 2015. The film is an intelligent and moving drama in which a retired couple must rethink their lives after news from the past resurfaces. The critic singles out the tiny details and superb performances by Rampling and Courtenay for praise. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/27/45-years-review-tom-courtenay-and-charlotte-rampling-superb-as-couple-freshly-possessed-by-the-past) ## The New York Times — A.O. Scott Rating NYT Critic’s Pick. 22 December 2015. Haigh’s sensitive and devastating portrait shows a long happy marriage suddenly in crisis after a letter arrives about the husband’s former girlfriend. The critic highlights the powerful final frozen moment that leaves the wife looking at her husband with new understanding. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/23/movies/review-in-45-years-a-dead-flame-threatens-a-marriage.html) ## The Playlist — The Playlist Staff Rating A. 23 December 2015. Haigh crafts a simple yet devouringly empathetic story that feels like open-heart surgery on relationships, with Rampling giving the best performance of her career. The film is precisely calibrated and stunningly honest about time, memory, and love. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/review-andrew-haighs-elegant-and-empathetic-45-years-starring-charlotte-rampling-tom-courtenay-20151223/) ## Consequence Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 17 January 2016. Festival review. The critic lauds the film's measured storytelling and especially Charlotte Rampling's revelatory, tour-de-force performance as the wife unraveling from past revelations, calling it a brilliant, emotionally gutting drama. [Read the review](https://consequence.net/2016/01/tiff-film-review-45-years/) ## Deadline — Pete Hammond Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 14 December 2015. The critic calls the film one of the year’s best and praises its piercing exploration of a long marriage thrown into crisis by a sudden revelation. Rampling’s subtle, stunning performance, conveyed especially through her eyes and small gestures, is singled out as transcendent. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2015/12/45-years-review-charlotte-rampling-tom-courtenay-sundance-selects-1201666627/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 23 December 2015. The review hails the film as a quietly explosive two-hander that showcases Haigh’s skill with intimate relationship stories and delivers shattering performances from its leads. It singles out the understated direction and the way Rampling and Courtenay convey deep emotion through fleeting glances and routines. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/45-years-review-charlotte-rampling-gives-a-shattering-performance-in-understated-marital-drama/) ## Collider — Adam Chitwood Rating B+. 25 December 2015. The critic praises the intimate, haunting drama and especially the transcendent performances by Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, which make the film emotionally powerful despite its deliberate pace. They single out Rampling's magnificent portrayal of complex emotions through subtle expressions. [Read the review](https://collider.com/45-years-review-charlotte-rampling/) ## Digital Spy — Stella Papamichael 24 August 2015. The review highlights the deep blue melancholy evoked by the story of a marriage unsettled by news from the past, with Rampling's performance conveying heartbreak through subtle gestures. It notes Haigh's skill in building tension through silences and small moments rather than overt confrontations. [Read the review](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a663886/45-years-review-charlotte-rampling-and-tom-courtenay-get-struck-by-an-iceberg/) ## Eye for Film — Luke Shaw 26 June 2015. Haigh's powerful drama hauntingly examines how a past revelation unravels a long marriage, with Rampling and Courtenay giving eminently believable performances. The film delivers a gut punch of emotion through subtle infractions and an inexorable march toward its climactic moments. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/45-years-2015-film-review-by-luke-shaw) ## HeyUGuys — Stefan Pape 7 February 2015. Festival review. The critic praises Haigh's naturalistic drama for its moving portrayal of the nuances and subtleties of long-term love. Rampling and Courtenay deliver incredible performances that make the couple's bond believable and the story's emotional impact profound. [Read the review](https://www.heyuguys.com/45-years-review/) ## Paste — Tim Grierson Rating 8.6. 14 September 2015. Festival review. The critic highlights the film's delicate exploration of the nuances and invisible burdens in long-term marriage through restrained performances, but notes disappointment in a late reveal that reduces ambiguity. They praise the subtle emotional depth conveyed by the actors' faces. [Read the review](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/45-years) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/45-years.md