I've Loved You So Long (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
Juliette Fontaine (Kristin Scott Thomas) was in prison for 15 years. Faced with unexpected kindness from her younger sister, Lea (Elsa Zylberstein), she invites Juliette into her home to stay for a while til she gets back on her feet. Cold, silent, bitter ... Juliette struggles with her inner demons as those around her try their best to make her comfortable. Will she ever open up? What did she do to land herself in jail for 15 yrs.? 'I've Loved You So Long', a French film written & directed by Philippe Claudel, is a quiet, but engrossing drama about pain, suffering & healing. And Kristin Scott Thomas gives the female performance of the year, thus far.
SPOILERS INSIDE: The film opens with a pensive, anxious Juliette smoking a cigarette in an airport. Despite misgivings from her husband, Luc (Serge Hazanavicius), Lea picks her sister up from the airport & heads on home; where they have 2 adopted Vietnamese daughters (the elder one is precious). So Luc would have good reason to be apprehensive, as Juliette was convicted of murdering her own 6 yr. old son 15 yrs. ago (and she didn't even care that she went to jail). Why did she do it? Lea was only a teen when the horrible event occurred and was brainwashed by her parents to forget that she ever had a sister. The drawn, sullen Juliette that she sees standing before her is not the same loving, caring Juliette she sketchily remembers from her past. END SPOILER.
Lea is determined to re-connect & get to know her sister. But haunted by ghosts, Juliette really struggles to get through each day. i.e., checking in at the police station (per orders), trying to communicate with normal everyday people, meeting men, job interviews, employment (when all the employers know her detailed history), etc. She finds it difficult to exist in society where her life is bound-up in the secret she keeps (regarding the murder). She was a loner in prison, & she's a loner now. But with help from some new friends & her family, perhaps she'll begin to thaw. She may have to come to terms with what she did & tell someone out loud why she did it (make known her motivations). If she were to accomplish that, there may yet be hope for Juliette to salvage her pitiable life.
Watching Juliette awaken from her 15 yr. slumber (so to speak) is something to behold. And her last line, "I'm here. I'm here." sums it up perfectly. No one could have possibly understood Juliette's well-kept secret, so the big revelation in the final moments IS momentous, indeed. The secret itself is not so shocking, really. But the way it's handled onscreen is superb. I wouldn't classify this film as a mystery, but it is interesting how the director chooses to reveal small doses of the central tragedy as the movie goes along. 'Ive Loved You So Long' is as much about the secret as it is about Juliette's re-integration into society; getting out on her own. And an interesting question is to be asked from this film. As I watched, I thought about how I would treat Juliette if I'd been privy to her circumstances. Though she looks as normal as can be ... would I still forgive her? Would I feel comfortable in her presence? That's a lot to face if you're Juliette.
KS Thomas is simply great. Hers is a controlled, resilient & courageous performance; where she makes just as much (if not more so) of an impact in her silent moments than when she's saying anything, at all. She always keeps you watching. Brilliant. And Zylberstein lends ultimate support as the understanding, non-judgmental sister. 'I've Loved You ...' is a very small film; filled with quiet observations, day-to-day minutiae, & submerged emotions (til the end). If you're not into subtitles or serious character dramas, then I don't think this would be for you. But I found it beautiful, heart-shaking, & ultimately uplifting.
SPOILERS INSIDE: The film opens with a pensive, anxious Juliette smoking a cigarette in an airport. Despite misgivings from her husband, Luc (Serge Hazanavicius), Lea picks her sister up from the airport & heads on home; where they have 2 adopted Vietnamese daughters (the elder one is precious). So Luc would have good reason to be apprehensive, as Juliette was convicted of murdering her own 6 yr. old son 15 yrs. ago (and she didn't even care that she went to jail). Why did she do it? Lea was only a teen when the horrible event occurred and was brainwashed by her parents to forget that she ever had a sister. The drawn, sullen Juliette that she sees standing before her is not the same loving, caring Juliette she sketchily remembers from her past. END SPOILER.
Lea is determined to re-connect & get to know her sister. But haunted by ghosts, Juliette really struggles to get through each day. i.e., checking in at the police station (per orders), trying to communicate with normal everyday people, meeting men, job interviews, employment (when all the employers know her detailed history), etc. She finds it difficult to exist in society where her life is bound-up in the secret she keeps (regarding the murder). She was a loner in prison, & she's a loner now. But with help from some new friends & her family, perhaps she'll begin to thaw. She may have to come to terms with what she did & tell someone out loud why she did it (make known her motivations). If she were to accomplish that, there may yet be hope for Juliette to salvage her pitiable life.
Watching Juliette awaken from her 15 yr. slumber (so to speak) is something to behold. And her last line, "I'm here. I'm here." sums it up perfectly. No one could have possibly understood Juliette's well-kept secret, so the big revelation in the final moments IS momentous, indeed. The secret itself is not so shocking, really. But the way it's handled onscreen is superb. I wouldn't classify this film as a mystery, but it is interesting how the director chooses to reveal small doses of the central tragedy as the movie goes along. 'Ive Loved You So Long' is as much about the secret as it is about Juliette's re-integration into society; getting out on her own. And an interesting question is to be asked from this film. As I watched, I thought about how I would treat Juliette if I'd been privy to her circumstances. Though she looks as normal as can be ... would I still forgive her? Would I feel comfortable in her presence? That's a lot to face if you're Juliette.
KS Thomas is simply great. Hers is a controlled, resilient & courageous performance; where she makes just as much (if not more so) of an impact in her silent moments than when she's saying anything, at all. She always keeps you watching. Brilliant. And Zylberstein lends ultimate support as the understanding, non-judgmental sister. 'I've Loved You ...' is a very small film; filled with quiet observations, day-to-day minutiae, & submerged emotions (til the end). If you're not into subtitles or serious character dramas, then I don't think this would be for you. But I found it beautiful, heart-shaking, & ultimately uplifting.