As divorce rates rise in most of the industrialized world, being with the same partner for 45 years these days calls for a major celebration (perhaps a medal would be more in order), which is exactly what Kate (Charlotte Rampling) and Geoff (Tom Courtenay) decide to do in the British film "45 Years."

The brief, concise opening shots show Kate returning from one of numerous errands in preparation for the anniversary party, and a conversation with a postman who, a former pupil of hers, reveals to the audience that she had been a much-liked school teacher in the local Norfolk community.

Charlotte Rampling was up for an Oscar for this role and it's easy to see why. She brings a masterful combination of the anger, honesty and self-deception that assails a woman who, after 45 years of being with her husband Geoff, discovers that he still holds a place in his heart for a woman who had died five decades ago.