THIS is a love story in a low-tension mystery that doesn’t get your blood racing, boggle your mind, insult your intelligence or confuse your senses.

Tom Courtenay plays Geoff Mercer, approaching the 45th anniversary of marriage with Kate. They are educated, intelligent retirees without children, living comfortably on the outskirts of an English village.

At present, their main topic of conversation is the party that friends are planning for them.

A letter arrives advising that an ice melt has revealed the preserved body of a woman with whom Geoff was touring Switzerland before he ever met Kate.

From that small bump along the smooth path of the Mercers’ lives, director/co-writer (with David Constantine, author of “In Another Country”, the short story from which it is derived) Andrew Haigh has confected a film that languidly approaches the wordless emotional cataclysm that’s waiting until the final close-up to manifest itself.

Few actresses of any age (she turned 70 a fortnight ago) can match Charlotte Rampling’s consummate and versatile performance power. Apparently her industry nickname is “The Legend”.

Handsome rather than gorgeous, she commands the screen whenever she’s on it. Playing Kate, she’s nominated for Best Actress at the coming Oscars and even before seeing “45 Years”, I hoped she’ll win.

The film mutely invites us to select the most rational of several possible explanations. Locating the thread leading to it takes some mental backtracking. It’s storytelling and performance of a high order.

At Palace Electric, Capitol 6