The film 45 Years tells the story of British couple Geoff and Kate, played by Tom Courtney and Charlotte Rampling, in the week leading up to their 45th wedding anniversary.
They're a contented pair, living quietly in retirement in the English countryside -- at least until Geoff receives a startling piece of news. The body of his one-time fiance, who died decades earlier while the two were hiking in Switzerland, has been discovered -- perfectly preserved in ice. For Kate, this leads to unexpected revelations about her spouse of many years.
Charlotte Rampling has been acting for more than 50 years, but has never been nominated for an oscar. This film could change that, as the Los Angeles and Boston film critics' groups both have named her best actress.
The director of 45 years is Andrew Haigh, a British filmmaker who debuted in 2011 with Weekend, a micro-budgeted character-based drama that follows a brief romantic encounter between two men.
Weekend was an indie hit, and opportunity followed. He got a call from HBO, which wanted him to produce Looking, a series that follows the lives of several gay men questing for happiness in San Francisco.
After leaving college two decades ago, Haigh started working as a crew member on big-budget movies like Gladiator and Black Hawk Down -- a far cry from the kind of delicate interior drama of 45 Years. He tells us about his evolution within the filmmaking industry and enjoying the success of the much-acclaimed 45 Years while also dealing with the cancellation of Looking.