"I've Loved You So Long" is one of those, increasingly rare, films which moves slowly and carefully, but is utterly involving from the first. It does not worry about its audience getting bored and has the courage not to rush through its story. In return for this, the audience is treated to an excellently made and moving character piece about love, loss and family which never falls into sentiment.
At the heart of the film are two great performances. Kristen Scott Thomas, acting in her second language, delivers a turn which is subtle, enigmatic but not completely indecipherable. The interest that her character creates is fully paid off. She also performs well with Elsa Zylberstein who, like Scott Thomas, delivers a deft performance but with a lot less material to work with. Her character, Léa, is a little underexplored, but Zylberstein more than makes up for this.
The two of them manage to hold their audience's attention, as Philippe Claudel unfolds his story with care. Scott Thomas's Juliette arrives at the beginning of the film, having been away for reasons unknown. Claudel keeps us guessing as to exactly why she has been absent, whilst building a detailed portrait of a wounded woman trying to rebuild her shattered life and trying to conquer seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
The master stroke is the central character of Juliette, who remains fairly ambiguous throughout. One is called at once to dislike those who judge her, but at the same time one is unsure as to whether you should like her. Whilst she will not go down as a classic character, it is a fine example of screen writing and acting.
Whilst the slow pace may not be to everyone's taste, those who enjoy finely crafted and well performed pieces of film will find much to like here. Scott Thomas's performance is certainly worth the admission fee, whilst the film lives up to it.
4 Stars out of 5
At the heart of the film are two great performances. Kristen Scott Thomas, acting in her second language, delivers a turn which is subtle, enigmatic but not completely indecipherable. The interest that her character creates is fully paid off. She also performs well with Elsa Zylberstein who, like Scott Thomas, delivers a deft performance but with a lot less material to work with. Her character, Léa, is a little underexplored, but Zylberstein more than makes up for this.
The two of them manage to hold their audience's attention, as Philippe Claudel unfolds his story with care. Scott Thomas's Juliette arrives at the beginning of the film, having been away for reasons unknown. Claudel keeps us guessing as to exactly why she has been absent, whilst building a detailed portrait of a wounded woman trying to rebuild her shattered life and trying to conquer seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
The master stroke is the central character of Juliette, who remains fairly ambiguous throughout. One is called at once to dislike those who judge her, but at the same time one is unsure as to whether you should like her. Whilst she will not go down as a classic character, it is a fine example of screen writing and acting.
Whilst the slow pace may not be to everyone's taste, those who enjoy finely crafted and well performed pieces of film will find much to like here. Scott Thomas's performance is certainly worth the admission fee, whilst the film lives up to it.
4 Stars out of 5