Countdown! Best Movies of the Past Few Years: "45 Years" Will Knock the Wind Out of You

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Just a reminder...these are movies I've seen for the first time in the past few years; not necessarily movies that were made during that time period. Here's where we stand so far:

Honorable Mention: Basquiat (1996)
10. Split (2016)
9. In Bruges (2008) - tie
9. War Dogs (2016) - tie
8. The Edge of Seventeen (2016)

7. 45 YEARS (2015)

When we first enter the world of 45 Years, we feel like voyeurs eavesdropping on the quiet personal lives of Geoff and Kate Mercer. They live alone in a picturesque British cottage, with a property that whispers too good to be true. It seems like a warm home, and a lovely place for a weekend away. 

Kate, wonderfully played by the great Charlotte Rampling, is making preparations for their 45th anniversary party, while Geoff (Tom Courtenay, another seasoned pro) reads the paper, does chores around the house and chimes in from time to time. The Mercers have a normal, quiet existence, and they seem mostly content. 

Until the letter arrives. Geoff receives communication that the body of a former lover of his, Katya, was found in a glacier in Switzerland. Geoff was with her on that fateful hike, roughly 50 years into his past. It's a buried memory. In his mind, the letter brings Katya back to life. 

In the following days, Kate notices slight changes in Geoff's normally-steady behavior. He becomes more irritable. More aloof. Kate senses some distance developing in their once-concrete connection. 

And I don't want to give too much away. 

But, in all honesty, this is a heartbreaking story. Writer/director Andrew Haigh's quiet realism allows the viewer to realize the impending horror as it unfolds. Geoff's old memories rush back like flowing rapids. He begins to think about the entirety of his life. Did he end up with The One?

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Kate is no dummy. After 45 years, it goes without saying that she knows Geoff like the back of her hand. Is he slipping away from her? How can she get him back on track?

There are no easy answers. For a quiet, little, small-town film, 45 Years can be immensely powerful to the right audience. 

Forty-five years. That's a lifetime. During the film's climax, on the dance floor, Rampling does some virtuoso work. She conveys that lifetime in simple expressions and movements. 

Forty-five years of marriage. Happiness, fights, ups, downs...all for...

What, exactly?

** JOHN FRASCELLA'S SCORE: 9 out of 10 **

Don't forget the OVERALL rankings for my existing reviews/recent films seen:

1. Up in the Air (9.5/10)
2. Steve Jobs (9.5/10)
3. Margin Call (9/10)
4. Stay (9/10)
5. Gone Girl (9/10)
6. The Edge of Seventeen (9/10)
7. 45 Years (9/10)
8. Tape (9/10) 

9. A Perfect Murder (9/10)
10. War Dogs (8.5/10)
11. In Bruges (8.5/10)

12. Split (8.5/10)

13. Bad Moms (8.5/10)

14. Basquiat (8.5/10)

15. Moonlight (8/10)

16. The Revenant (8/10)

17. The Shallows (7.5/10)
18. Focus (7.5/10) 

19. The Night Before (7.5/10)
20. The Walk (7/10)

21. 10 Cloverfield Lane (7/10)
22. Loving (7/10) - No review available
23. The Boy (6/10) - No review available

24. Joy (5.5/10)

25. La La Land (5.5/10)
26. Molly's Game (5/10)
27. Set It Up (5/10)
28. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (4.5/10) - No review available
29. Why Him? (3.5/10) - No review available
30. The Program (3/10)
31. Shut In (2/10) - No review available

32. Rings (1.5/10)
33. Mother's Day (1.5/10)

Reviews to Come...

Lady Bird
Eastern Promises
A Quiet Place
Life of Pi
Wind River
Hell or High Water

Sunshine Cleaning

Zero Dark Thirty
The Box
Annabelle: Creation
The Conjuring 2
Baby Driver
Body of Lies

Untraceable

The Wonder Boys

Jackie Brown

Mean Streets

Nerve

The Hateful Eight

The Seven Five

How to Be Single

Deadpool

Ratatouille

The Spectacular Now
The Visit
Nocturnal Animals
The Purge: Election Year
And more...