Léa (Elsa Zylberstein) and Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) are sisters. Juliette has just been released from prison after serving a long sentence. Léa was still a teenager when Juliette, a doctor, was convicted of the murder of her six-year-old son. Life together isn't easy to begin with. Juliette has to relearn certain basics. The world has moved on and she often seems confused. Although she may seem cold and distant, her attitude stems more from her being ill at ease. Helped by some, such as the kindly but tactless social worker and her open-hearted but depressed parole officer (Frédéric Pierrot) whose confidante she becomes, Juliette is also rejected by others, particularly employers who throw her out as soon as they find out what she did. But a huge questions hangs over Juliette's renaissance. Why did she do such a terrible thing fifteen years ago? For all the others, it's a recurrent thought that they dare not put into words. And for Juliette, locked away in her secret, it's a burden to bear, which holds her back from engaging in her life and believing that she too has the right to be happy.
Special Agent Matti
I've loved you so long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime) is a yucky film in which everyone is damaged by their past, be it shared or individual. No-one in this movie gets off without some kind of horror story. What saves it from melodrama is that most of the film is of the Kitchen Sink™ variety: there's more dialogue about swimming, eating and getting a job than there is about being fucked up.
If you read the propaganda about this film then you'll erode the power of the "mystery" behind Juliette's absence from Léa's life: from the very first frame, Juliette is trapped within an enigmatic silence that does nothing to hide the misery of her existence. Philippe Claudel drops hints here and there until you know far more than you ever wanted to - it's that kind of movie - and you understand that relieving your curiosity is not as much fun as it first seems.
Kristin Scott Thomas is great. She's the thinking man's Angelina Jolie. Seeing her performance is like watching an accident victim going through rehab: painful but necessary. (Everyone else is good, too - I've loved you so long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime) has depth in all directions.)
That's enough rambling from me. You don't have to be an intellectual to enjoy this film but it will help.
The drama, France movie I've loved you so long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime) is directed by Philippe Claudel and stars Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius.
M (Mature themes)
112 minutes (1:52 hours)
Film: 26 December 2008
