I’ve Loved You So Long (2008)
AKA: Il y a longtemps que je t’aime
Directed by: Philippe Claudel
Starring: Kristin Scott Thomas (Juliette), Elsa Zylberstein (Lea), Serge Hazanavicius (Luc), Laurent Grévill (Michel), Frédéric Pierrot (Cpt Faure)
Country: France, European Cinema
Language: French (English Subtitles)
Runtime: 01:56:49
Genres: Misery-Depressing, Siblings
Plot – Spoilers:
A former doctor Juliette has just been released from prison after serving a 15-year sentence. Her younger sister Lea who hasn’t seen her since she was jailed asks her to stay with her for a while. Lea teaches Literature and is married with a couple of girls but is awkward around Juliette and tries to avoid any reference to her jail-time and the fact that no one from their family wanted anything to do with Juliette for the last 15 years.
Juliette on her part finds Lea’s settled homely life grating and is barely able to tolerate the presence of her sister’s daughters. When it emerges that Juliette was put away for the murder of her own son, it makes all of us sit up with our eyes and ears wide open.
Heartbreaking 5/5.
There is a political component to the movie.
One reason ‘I’ve Loved You So Long’ keeps the details of Juliette’s crime secret until the last act is to explore the question of how society should treat someone who has served her time. Juliette is distant, even aseptic but controlled and devoid of sentiment. She is distrusted by some, dismissed by others, and misunderstood by nearly all. When someone has paid his or her debt to society, does that person deserve a second chance or should she bear the mark of her crime like a scarlet letter for the rest of her life? And do the circumstances of the crime have any bearing upon how such a person is perceived? Certainly, viewers will see Juliette differently in the film’s closing moments, once the details of her act have been exposed. Kristin Scott Thomas’s performance is well matched by Elsa Zylberstein, who radiates sympathy and whose character remains supportive and non-judgmental.
never thought of finding this movie on this site, but so glad to find it.
splendide
That was hearbreaking, I’m in tears good job
I’ve loved this film not so long. Discovered it about a month ago.. I think it’s great though.