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.