The famous William Faulker quote goes, “The past is never dead. It's not even past.” In Andrew Haigh’s (Weekend) adaptation of a David Constantine short story, which takes place over the course of a week, two events bring the past forward with suddenness. One is the impending anniversary party of Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Geoff (Tom Courtenay); the other is news that the body of Geoff’s old girlfriend has been discovered, having been buried under snow for 50 years. This is a movie that starts out quietly (really—I missed some dialogue) and builds slowly, but even then to an understated, or even slight, conclusion.
The pleasures of the movie are in observing the couple, whose everyday dialogue reveals an intimacy that can only grow over a long period. The movie is essentially from her point of view, wondering if, after decades together, she really knows all there is to know about her husband, or whether that’s possible. And Rampling is always a welcome screen presence. But Courtenay is extremely affecting as the husband, just a few years older, but certainly, in multiple ways, more fragile.
IMDb link
viewed 1/18/16 7:30 pm at Ritz 5 and posted 1/18/16
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