The movie is excellent. Beautifully directed, great screenplay, but the acting... Oh, God! The acting! Charlotte Rampling deserved six Oscars for her performance! I just couldn't stop watching. She is really, really good. You may or may not like the movie, but you can't not like Charlotte Rampling. Just watch it for her. You won't regret it.

You have to wonder why anyone thought it was a good idea to transfer this dead-in-the-water book to the big screen. You also have to wonder why two of our most respected actors would have even considered this turkey.We are treated to a glimpse into the banal domestic lives of an old childless couple where nothing ever happens. That is until we hear about something that happened donkey's years ago.Suddenly the wife is consumed by some kind of jealousy and proceeds to wander about aimlessly looking as if she's just been given a diagnosis of imminent death. Her husband staggers about also -- and here Tom Courtney over plays his part of a doddery old geezer, looking more like a recovering stroke victim.And so it goes -- for ninety odd minutes. Nothing happens. Apart that is from the most disturbing sex scenes you will ever see in a film. If you want to see two 70-odd year old people attempting to have sexual intercourse then this film is for you. For the rest of us we reach swiftly for the sick bag.I suppose the director was going for the laid back arty look of continental cinema. The difference is that in those films something usually happens -- and the characters are at least likeable.These two old codgers are totally boring. You do feel like slapping the pair of them.I have great respect for both actors but would love to ask them what they were thinking when they agreed to this sleep inducing snore fest.Avoid at all costs.How anyone who is not being paid to say so considers this a film-of-the-year is beyond me. Those glowing reviews are suspect..... .......

Oh dear. What can I say except I feel as if I have aged 45 years watching this feature. The low budget UK film focuses on the 45th wedding anniversary of Kate and Geoff Mercer (Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courteney). Shortly prior to the anniversary party Geoff receives the news that his pre-marriage sweetheart has been found frozen and preserved in a Switzerland glacier. Kate is shocked to discover that Geoff is the next of kin as the Swiss authorities were wrongly under the impression that the dead lady and Geoff were married. To cut a long (and dreary) story short Kate feels not worthy. Kate is a retired schoolteacher with the mannerisms of Mrs. McCluskie off eighties UK TV drama Grange Hill. I can imagine Norfolk couple Kate and Geoff discussing the merits of the pedestrianisation of Norwich City Centre over the dinner table!Certainly a film I won't ever watch again. It has the production values of an episode of a low budget TV program and the boredom factor to boot.

Kate (Charlotte Rampling) is preparing her 45th anniversary party married to Geoff Mercer (Tom Courtenay). They live comfortably childless in rural England. Geoff reveals something about a previous relationship with Katya who died long ago hiking a glacier but the body was only recently discovered. Kate is a little perplexed and struggles to understand the true nature of their relationship.Charlotte Rampling is one of the greatest actresses around. I get the idea of an old couple with a secret. There isn't enough danger or drama for the tension to be truly raised. The major drama should occur after the big discovery. This is a quiet drama with buried emotions. I'm not complaining that nothing happens. It's just that the drama is interior and doesn't amount to that big. If you like quiet character study, this one is for you.