Review: I've Loved You So Long (2008)

[Steve Rhodes]

I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2008 Steve Rhodes

RATING (0 TO ****):  ***

"The worst prison is the death of one's child.  You never get over it," 
Juliette tells her long estranged sister Lea.  Juliette is played, in a 
performance certain to be nominated for an Academy Award, by Kristin Scott 
Thomas (THE ENGLISH PATIENT).

I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T'AIME) is certainly a good 
film, but its merits seem relatively inconsequential next to the knockout 
performance by its lead, Scott Thomas.  As a lonely, morose woman who 
committed a horrific crime many years ago, Scott Thomas's Juliette is a 
mesmerizing woman whose ever-present sadness and depression are both genuine 
and touching.  Although the film's awful theme is the death of a child, the 
movie steers clear of tear-jerker territory.  Don't get me wrong, you might 
end up shedding many a tear, but your emotional state will not come from 
some forced and overwrought narrative.

The real beauty of Scott Thomas's acting is the way she uses minimal 
expressions to convey so much.  While her character does let her anger get 
the better of her on a few occasions, generally Juliette is a walking bottle 
of corked up emotions.  The feelings she has bottled up inside of her --  
guilt, bitterness, or whatever -- are something she never, ever talks about. 
She is so mad at herself and at life that she is incapable of sharing.

The script by Philippe Claudel, who also directs, is masterful in telling us 
only the minimal facts that we need at the moment.  While we, as viewers, 
never feel lost, we also are never ahead of the story as it unfolds.  All we 
know for certain is that Juliette, even though she tells Lea's kids that she 
has been away on a long trip, has just been released from prison after 
serving fifteen years for some crime.

As time advances, we learn a bit more about Juliette and her troubles.  Most 
of this comes from looking deep into Scott Thomas's eyes, which are like 
deep pools of nothingness, as if her troubles have robbed her of everything 
that makes life worth living.  Even if the French equivalent of her parole 
officer is the kindest and most compassionate man you're likely to meet in 
such a capacity, nothing helps Juliette out of her deep funk.

Almost midway through the movie, we finally get a hint of a smile from 
Juliette, as she allows herself to briefly relax some at a party.  Lea, her 
younger sister, who has not spoken to Juliette in fifteen years, tries to 
console her but doesn't really know how.

A superb character study, I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG ends by eventually 
revealing to us the answer to its one small mystery.  What we learn is about 
what we've guessed, but that isn't important.  It's not the movie or the 
story per se that packs the emotional wallop.  It's the amazing performance 
by Scott Thomas that you'll remember for quite some time.  Hopefully, the 
members of the Academy will remember it too when casting their ballots.

I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG runs 1:55.  The film is in French with English 
subtitles.  It is rated PG-13 for "thematic material and smoking" and would 
be acceptable for kids old enough to read subtitles.

The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, November 7, 2008. 
In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.

Web: http://www.InternetReviews.com
Email: Steve.Rhodes at InternetReviews.com

***********************************************************************

Want reviews of new films via Email?
Just write Steve.Rhodes at InternetReviews.com and put "subscribe" in the 
subject line.