Tom Courtenay and Charlotte Rampling in 45 Years (Toronto International Film Festival)

Retirees Geoff and Kate Mercer live in the English countryside under gray, silent clouds.  A certain discreet formality overlays their routine of dog walking and shared meals. They make occasional trips into the touristy nearby town to plan a postponed anniversary party, but they mostly stay within the confines of their home, outfitted in tasteful shades of beige. Do you sense trouble in the wind?

Congratulate yourself on the sharpness of your intuitive powers. Tom receives the surprise news that the body of his long-dead girlfriend has been discovered encased in ice at the edge of the Swiss glacier where he watched her fall. Geoff is caught off guard by the development (of whose potential absurdity or intrigue the script makes little hay), but Kate bristles with questions about his earlier love affair. Soon Geoff withdraws, wandering off into the village alone on mysterious missions as Kate digs up his old slides and scrapbooks in search of clues that lead her to know more about her deceased predecessor. Tensions mount. Anger smolders. Oldies play on the soundtrack, reminders of a romantic idealized past, and the mute, unforgiving clouds stand in for secrets and evasions.

The spectacle of a marriage’s slow crackup may draw in and hold some viewers. Others may stir in restlessness. Even before the blow brought by shadows from the past hits home, many enigmas already lie at the heart of this partnership. Aristocratic, whippet-thin Kate seems an odd match for bumbling, unkempt Geoff, and the actors’ turns only widen the distance. The always-regal Rampling oversalts her performance with anger and tension when it could use a little more hurt and bewilderment. Courtenay portrays an absent-minded duffer almost too well, with few glimpses of the younger man who might have once won Kate’s heart. Have these two been propping up a misalliance all along?

The film’s last tense scene, set at the couple’s 45th anniversary party, offers up few clues to what Kate and Tom’s relationship is really all about. During which I found myself wondering how this morose pair had managed to rack up such an impressive crowd of upbeat, smiling friends to cheer their marriage on. Just another mystery in a marriage—and a movie—full of them. Whether 45 Years is a fascinatingly nuanced, relatable portrait of a flawed bond or a cold, halting slog is entirely up to you. I know where I stand.