Beautiful yet melancholic film with two live characters and a shadow between them. Maybe one's love and passion for a previous partner may fade away over a long successful new relationship, but not the insecurity and jealousy inspired in the new partner. How can one compete with a past love tragically lost, especially when this love was never worn out by daily routine and everyday problems and conflict. How to be sure one is not simply filling a space left empty? Of course, it does not help to have to deal with such issues afresh after 45 years building a whole life around a marriage, without even the comfort of children. Even the character's names seem chosen to reinforce the idea of living in one's shadow – the dead partner's name was Cathy, and the present wife is called Kate. I found the story very similar to James Joyce's short story The Dead (from Dubliners), also turned into a beautiful film featuring Anjelica Huston. However, while The Dead has a truly pessimistic perspective, 45 Years ultimately lets the viewer decide whether there's still hope for this marriage or is it doomed to be always a patch up business.
Reviews
2 Reviews
45 Years
(2015)
Was anybody else reminded of The Dead while watching this?
23 February 2016
Warning: Spoilers
The Second Mother
(2015)
Have class differences really been abolished?
1 September 2015
A subtle look into the not very subtle work relations in Brazil, where slavery is all but truly abolished. After working for over 10 years both as nanny and housemaid to an upper middle class family in São Paulo, Val is supposedly regarded as one of the family, occupying, however, shabby and crammed quarters in the beautiful mansion of her employers. When the family agrees to welcome Val's daughter for a short time while she sits for college admission exams, everyone gets a lot more than they bargained for. The bright girl's presence will affect the whole household, putting to the test the politically correct attitude of the employers to their employees and making evident the full hypocrisy of the situation. The material director and screenplay writer Muylaert deals with is potentially both tragic and comic. She has wisely chosen comedy, but not the laughing out loud kind. This film will put a light smile on your face while making you a little uncomfortable at the same time, particularly if, like most Brazilians, you don't really see everyone in society exactly as your equal.
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