Looking at Kristen Scott Thomas I thought of Julie Christie, Ingrid Bergman, Helen Mirren, Liv Ullman and a number of other actresses that managed to be transparent on the screen. Transparent in the best sense of the word, meaning we could actually see the invisible. Two sisters, a husband, two adopted Asian girls and a past, a recent past an overwhelming past painted black but with a white coat of compassion. Fame novelist turned film director Philip Claudel's debut is surprising to say the least.His assured hand and sensibility makes me want to see his next opus with a certain amount of trepidation. Scott Thomas's performance is among the very best I've seen all year.
119 Reviews
Moving Forwards
i-burgess14 October 2008
I found that this film stayed with me for a few days after I'd seen it. The film shows some strange behaviours which are resolved as the story unfolds (e.g., the initial attitude of the brother-in-law which seems both heartless towards his sister-in-law and insensitive towards his wife). The portrayal of the relationship of the sisters is well done while the development of the relationship between Scott-Thomas and Greville is beautifully drawn - in a way that only French directors manage; the smallest gestures having deep meaning. I thought the direction of the older child was nothing short of outstanding - that is how articulate 7 to 8 year old children behave. I think that this is a life-affirming film despite the obvious losses. There is both a literal and symbolic birth.
Excellent
AndrewPhillips5 October 2008
This film has been crafted almost to perfection, the touch used is delicate and very realistic. It is interesting that such a slow pace should be so engrossing but it is. Thanks I think to the brilliant acting from everyone. Kirstin Scott Thomas stands out for such an understated performance, that when she does towards the end of the film show such deep emotion you are blown away. Her co stars do a great job keeping up with her, specifically Elsa Zylberstein playing her sister,the woman can cry on demand a face full of expression. Frederic Pierrot as the policeman, whose brilliance is only realised at the end of his part of the story. Jean Claude Arnaud as the grandfather, who without saying a word through the whole film is masterful. There could be a danger that this film is seen as a trudge through human emotion but I can assure you it is more than that. You will leave the cinema for filled and uplifted by the whole experience.
Wonderful
kil-1014 September 2008
Just had the pleasure of seeing this movie in a cinema and I can wholeheartedly recommend it.
The movie touches several very sensitive subjects in a careful and a non-judging way; it left me thinking deeply about the rules of our society, and what happens if one falls through the raster; if what one has done does not fit into the view of the majority and one's actions are not compatible with the rules that society has given itself.
There are scenes that made me laugh, others leaving me absorbed in thought, all the while realising: this is life as it is, sometimes wonderful, sometimes brutal and sad.
The acting is brilliant in my view, the film lives from Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein, both seem to be made for the characters they play while the rest of the cast, even for the smallest part, seems to have been carefully picked as well. Both actors and director describe the making of the movie as a very interesting experience, something I don't doubt at all after seeing it.
If you get a chance to see the movie, do it. It's worth it.
The movie touches several very sensitive subjects in a careful and a non-judging way; it left me thinking deeply about the rules of our society, and what happens if one falls through the raster; if what one has done does not fit into the view of the majority and one's actions are not compatible with the rules that society has given itself.
There are scenes that made me laugh, others leaving me absorbed in thought, all the while realising: this is life as it is, sometimes wonderful, sometimes brutal and sad.
The acting is brilliant in my view, the film lives from Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein, both seem to be made for the characters they play while the rest of the cast, even for the smallest part, seems to have been carefully picked as well. Both actors and director describe the making of the movie as a very interesting experience, something I don't doubt at all after seeing it.
If you get a chance to see the movie, do it. It's worth it.
This movie hits the emotional spot with great precision.
bart-depoortere4 April 2008
This movie succeeds in presenting believable characters through life-like dialogs and superior acting. Despite its heavy emotional load, it never degrades into a tear-jerker. Perhaps it makes a difference whether you are a parent yourself as a viewer, I could not tell, but after returning home, I did feel like giving the kids a loving cuddle. This movie will linger for a while in my mind. It seems to me that Philippe Claudel is not just a very observing novelist, but also a good director, capable of a lot of empathy with the human condition. Anyone looking for light entertainment should stay out of the movie theater where this movie is playing, but if you are interested in a subtle emphatic presentation of characters, you should not miss this.
French movie-making at its best
rogerdarlington10 October 2008
This is one of those films that, the less you know about it in advance, the more you are likely to appreciate it - which makes reviewing it a little problematic. All you really need to know is that it's French and excellent. But you might like to know that it's a wonderful vehicle for Kristin Scott Thomas, the British actress married to a Frenchman, who plays Juliette, an Anglo-French woman with some dark and painful secrets which only slowly unfold as the narrative takes its traumatic course. The movie opens and closes with close-ups of her haunted face and, in between, she is rarely off the screen in a marvellously nuanced performance, well supported by Elsa Zylberstein who plays her younger sister Léa. Written and directed by Philippe Claudel, this is French movie-making at its best.
The prison of guilt and sorrow !!!
avik-basu188924 August 2016
There is a lot to love in Philippe Claudel's film 'I've Loved You So Long'. This is a completely character driven film which has little to do with plot and story progression. Juliette remains a fascinating character throughout the film due to her past actions. Claudel keeps the viewer intrigued about getting to know why she did what she did in her past life. The character moments of her bonding with her sister Lea after a long spell of alienation while Lea's husband remains somewhat apprehensive felt very natural and intimate. Juliette's scenes with Lea and Luc's daughters were also executed with the right amount of intimacy and complexity.
Kristin Scott's Thomas' performance is probably the best thing in the entire film. She is playing a character who has not been able to forgive herself for her actions. The pain, the guilt and the suffering is completely visible in her eyes, her face and her expressions. She plays the role of a broken character who has been given an opportunity to start afresh after being released from prison, but Thomas' detached and restrained demeanour shows us perfectly that Juliette might have been released from prison, but she has not been able to get over her past and forgive herself. She slowly begins to loosen up as the film progresses to try to move on and restart her life. Elsa Zylberstein also deserves a mention. She puts a lot of humanity in the character of Lea giving her a sensitive layer.
The direction is restrained and non-flashy which I think is the best way to approach a mature and immensely personal subject such as this. Claudel allows the actors/characters to take center stage instead of using directorial flourishes that draw attention. Once or twice, he will slowly zoom into a character's face to pick up a particular transition in expression or use a meticulously framed shot to imply a bigger theme. There is one distinctive long take in the film which is very well executed. We move from one part of the house to another in the uninterrupted shot and Claudel gently shows the transition of the mood from pleasant to awkward and back to pleasant again during that one single take. The stripped down, raw manner in which the main characters are explored is a bit reminiscent of Mike Leigh, while the awkwardness that engulfs certain other scenes are Haneke-esque.
However, I think the film has its flaws too which are mostly in its script. There are a few individual scenes in the film that felt very weak and clichéd like the scene with the arm dislocation or the scene with the discussion on Dostoyevsky or even the manner in which a co-incidence is used to make Lea aware of the facts that led Juliette to do what she did in the past. These scenes felt rushed, underdeveloped and a bit out of place from the rest of the film. They don't damage the film completely, but they certainly do stick out in a big way.
Overall, 'I've Loved You So Long' is a good film with a fantastic performance from Kristin Scott Thomas. The conflict and the theme of the film is very intimate and relatable. Philippe Claudel's direction is mature, but the writing in some scenes is a bit weak. But it certainly should be recommended.
Kristin Scott's Thomas' performance is probably the best thing in the entire film. She is playing a character who has not been able to forgive herself for her actions. The pain, the guilt and the suffering is completely visible in her eyes, her face and her expressions. She plays the role of a broken character who has been given an opportunity to start afresh after being released from prison, but Thomas' detached and restrained demeanour shows us perfectly that Juliette might have been released from prison, but she has not been able to get over her past and forgive herself. She slowly begins to loosen up as the film progresses to try to move on and restart her life. Elsa Zylberstein also deserves a mention. She puts a lot of humanity in the character of Lea giving her a sensitive layer.
The direction is restrained and non-flashy which I think is the best way to approach a mature and immensely personal subject such as this. Claudel allows the actors/characters to take center stage instead of using directorial flourishes that draw attention. Once or twice, he will slowly zoom into a character's face to pick up a particular transition in expression or use a meticulously framed shot to imply a bigger theme. There is one distinctive long take in the film which is very well executed. We move from one part of the house to another in the uninterrupted shot and Claudel gently shows the transition of the mood from pleasant to awkward and back to pleasant again during that one single take. The stripped down, raw manner in which the main characters are explored is a bit reminiscent of Mike Leigh, while the awkwardness that engulfs certain other scenes are Haneke-esque.
However, I think the film has its flaws too which are mostly in its script. There are a few individual scenes in the film that felt very weak and clichéd like the scene with the arm dislocation or the scene with the discussion on Dostoyevsky or even the manner in which a co-incidence is used to make Lea aware of the facts that led Juliette to do what she did in the past. These scenes felt rushed, underdeveloped and a bit out of place from the rest of the film. They don't damage the film completely, but they certainly do stick out in a big way.
Overall, 'I've Loved You So Long' is a good film with a fantastic performance from Kristin Scott Thomas. The conflict and the theme of the film is very intimate and relatable. Philippe Claudel's direction is mature, but the writing in some scenes is a bit weak. But it certainly should be recommended.
Full of pathos and charm
sshendy7 January 2009
While I've never been such a Philistine as to decline to see a film because it is in an unknown language and I'd have to read the subtitles, there is usually a sense of emotional distance when you have to read the words yourself. In the case of 'I've Loved You So Long', I felt no such distance. Indeed, this is the first time I've cried in a movie since... I don't know when. Sure, I am a callous bastard, but I often find myself moved by a film, only, rarely do I find myself as moved as I was by this one.
'I've Loved You So Long' focuses on the story of Juliette Fontaine coming from prison to live with her sister, who was a young adolescent when she was incarcerated. The tensions of living with an extended family are exacerbated by Juliette's personality, which it is accepted is altered by her time in gaol. Philippe Claudel's story is beautifully structured to release just as much information as is necessary to keep you interested, while retaining just enough mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat.
I have never seen a French film that I haven't liked, but I have also never seen a French film of this calibre. It is an outstanding piece of storytelling, full of pathos and charm.
'I've Loved You So Long' focuses on the story of Juliette Fontaine coming from prison to live with her sister, who was a young adolescent when she was incarcerated. The tensions of living with an extended family are exacerbated by Juliette's personality, which it is accepted is altered by her time in gaol. Philippe Claudel's story is beautifully structured to release just as much information as is necessary to keep you interested, while retaining just enough mystery to keep you on the edge of your seat.
I have never seen a French film that I haven't liked, but I have also never seen a French film of this calibre. It is an outstanding piece of storytelling, full of pathos and charm.
Spolied a bit by the ending
paudie30 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The highlight of this film is definitely the performance of Scott Thomas as the ex-convict returning to live with her sister and family after 15 years in prison. Her gaunt face is ideal for the character struggling to return to normal life with a family she doesn't know. She in uncomfortable with the loving welcome she gets from her sister. The tension builds as we gradually find out why she went to prison and why she had lost contact with her family.
I thought the film was excellent until the very end when rather far fetched "revelations" spoiled the film a bit for me. The director seemed to want to give the film a "happy" ending that was a bit unnecessary.
In fact the thought struck me that the film seemed perfect for a Hollywood remake with a new happy ending tacked on and with Michelle Pfeiffer in the main role in a desperate bid for credibility as a dramatic actor! However the original version already has the feel good twist.
Still a good story and excellent performances all round make this film well worth seeing.
I thought the film was excellent until the very end when rather far fetched "revelations" spoiled the film a bit for me. The director seemed to want to give the film a "happy" ending that was a bit unnecessary.
In fact the thought struck me that the film seemed perfect for a Hollywood remake with a new happy ending tacked on and with Michelle Pfeiffer in the main role in a desperate bid for credibility as a dramatic actor! However the original version already has the feel good twist.
Still a good story and excellent performances all round make this film well worth seeing.
You must see this film if you consider yourself a lover of great art.
arlendean22 October 2008
Claudel provides a lesson for American film makers and a lasting pleasure for the audience. The cast is evenly excellent with Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein the personifications of things felt and not said to siblings. It is such a pleasure to watch actors and actresses who look like people instead of an eight by ten glossy of themselves. Serge Hazanaviciius, Laurent Grevil, Frederic Pierrot, Jean-Claude Amaud and little Lise Se'gur form a perfect framework for the two stars. With no special effects and little background music, the viewer can concentrate on the slow peeling of layer after layer of revelation. The beauty revealed at its core is the result of action, not an attempt to tie up loose ends nor a deus ex machina. Snar
Brave, but not quite believable
PipAndSqueak6 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
For sisters to be parted for 15 years and to begin their relationship again would in itself be an interesting subject...however, this is not the principal interest of this film. Rather, it is a little far fetched account of, presumably, an inherited fatal complaint and a mother's premature resolution of the 'problem'. The characters are given back stories that would enable them to play certain roles but they just don't add up. Nevertheless, this is a very engaging film, with Scott Thomas perfect in the lead role. Even though the story is flawed, the emotional intent is rendered with great subtlety, no mean feat in itself. Worth watching, providing you're not feeling maudlin to begin with, otherwise you'll cry buckets.
Is this Scott Thomas's greatest role?
rogerkuin21 April 2008
This may be the film that makes Kristin Scott Thomas's reputation as not a good actress but a great one. It is a French film, and one has to accept the parameters of French 'intimisme'; as such it is wonderful. It is not a question of being a parent or not: it's a question of being ready or not to be swept out of one's daily self by great acting. Elsa Zylberstein is a fine actress (I remember her with affection in 'Farinelli'), but Scott Thomas here surpasses anything she has done before. She is capable, we knew, of making herself nearly ugly ('Angels and Insects'); she can do understated sensitivity ('Four Weddings and a Funeral'); here she gets a part of the emotional power of a Medea or a Phaedra and plays it with the let-it-rip force of a great tragédienne. The film is a vehicle for an actress, and none the worse for that. It is not unworthy of her, and that may be the best one can say of Claudel's work; but that may just be enough. There was a curiously fugitive quality to KST's interviews about this film: one got the impression she didn't really want to talk about it in more than mundane depth. One can see why. It all goes very near the bone. She may want to do a sheer glorious comedy next, just to remind us all of the blithe side of her nature. Long may she live, and work.
Very Strong Acting; But Still An Artificial Melodrama
imxo3 March 2009
All the actors/actresses in "I've Loved You So Long" are uniformly wonderful. Kristin Scott Thomas was truly fine, as was the superb Elsa Zylberstein. My favorite actor in this film, though, was Frederic Pierrot. His portrayal of a policeman who is desperate for companionship was excellent, and I think he made his character the most interesting person in the film.
Nevertheless, the plot itself is just too artificial for my taste. The film has pretensions of depth without actually having any depth. I won't go so far as to call it a middle-class soap opera, but that wouldn't be far off.
Nevertheless, the plot itself is just too artificial for my taste. The film has pretensions of depth without actually having any depth. I won't go so far as to call it a middle-class soap opera, but that wouldn't be far off.
Far-Fetched Vanity Piece
seeingthings17 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This film really irritated me. The main problem is the central premise - that a woman would meekly and mutely spend 15 years in prison for a mercy crime with no questions ever asked. Once this becomes apparent I think it's difficult to retain patience with what is little more than a far-fetched conceit. Far too often we read of real life cases of children dying at the hands of their parents. But along with the emotional trauma comes a huge legal and media machine. This is neatly ignored in this film preferring to linger on the fragrant and wistful middle-class sadness of Scott-Thomas staring into space, suffering in noble but picturesque silence.
I know what losing a child does to someone. It has happened to someone close to me and it destroyed their lives. This film doesn't seem to honestly explore that at all. It approaches the sort of sentimentality you find in American films where pain and suffering are used to titillate an audience before being told at the end that everything will be alright after all (especially if you are middle class and attractive).
I know what losing a child does to someone. It has happened to someone close to me and it destroyed their lives. This film doesn't seem to honestly explore that at all. It approaches the sort of sentimentality you find in American films where pain and suffering are used to titillate an audience before being told at the end that everything will be alright after all (especially if you are middle class and attractive).
Understated brilliance
richard-196716 December 2008
Oliver Stone fans beware: This movie doesn't knock you over the head. Everything is understated, from the screenplay, to the way the movie is shot, to the understated performances. Best is the Oscar-winning (that's a prediction!) Kirsten Scott-Thomas. Her nuanced and deep performance says so much more about her character than any other mode of presentation.
It's interesting that KST has done better with her French roles than her English-speaking ones. Perhaps it's the nature of her material. Perhaps it's that as a second language, French allows her face and body to do much of the acting. The subtle changes in her character from beginning to end is as nuanced as the movie, but discernible and clear, made more believable by the way KST takes us there.
As for the closing denouement, without spoiling: Does it really matter why she was gone, what she did, or why she did it? This film rightly focused us on her as a person with a past, rather than what the past was.
Il y'a longtemps que j'ai vu un film francais si bon!
It's interesting that KST has done better with her French roles than her English-speaking ones. Perhaps it's the nature of her material. Perhaps it's that as a second language, French allows her face and body to do much of the acting. The subtle changes in her character from beginning to end is as nuanced as the movie, but discernible and clear, made more believable by the way KST takes us there.
As for the closing denouement, without spoiling: Does it really matter why she was gone, what she did, or why she did it? This film rightly focused us on her as a person with a past, rather than what the past was.
Il y'a longtemps que j'ai vu un film francais si bon!
Brilliant Movie
bijan19847 November 2015
Last night I watched this brilliant movie for the third time. I can't actually get enough of Ms. Kristin Scott Thomas' performance in this movie. She performs as a rich and complex character in this film. Cinema fans know her from her outstanding performance in "The English Patient (1996)" for which she was nominated as the best leading actress in Academy Awards. 12 years after that performance, in 2008, she beautifully played the role of a woman, better to say a human, who came out of the jail and struggled to be accepted in the society as well as in her own family. It's not just that, the movie has some sense of mystery and little by little the story behind Juliette's, Kristin Scott Thomas', actions and behaviours unfolds itself. She has her own weaknesses, strengths, fears and sorrows. Artfully, Philippe Claudel, the director shows every little details of her changing moods and emotions. I highly recommend this movie for anyone who loves to see a good French movie with some magnificent acting.
A different sibling story from "Les soeurs fachees" (2004) but equally engaging
harry_tk_yung11 September 2008
Warning: Spoilers
(brief report from the Toronto International Film Festival)
The last French film I saw surrounding the relationship between two sisters I was "Les soeurs fachees" in the Hong Kong International Film Festival. While was "Les soeurs fachees" is essentially a comedy and "Il y a longtemps que je t'aime" sombre drama, there is poignancy in the former and humour in the latter that afford them a measure of comparability. The bigger difference, however, is that "longtemps" has a definite focus on one of the two sisters. This film has been characterised variously as Kristin Scott Thomas's "career-best" and "career-defining" performance. Elsa Zylberstein's contribution to the film, however, is no less significant. One could even say that she has a more difficult job because her character is less dramatic and therefore more difficult to bring home.
While this film is not intended to be a mystery or suspense, it is structured in such a way as to disseminate the information about the main character Juliette (Thomas) on a "need to know basis", as someone aptly puts it. As this is indeed the best way for the audience to experience this film, I will not spoil it with any details. Suffices to say that the simple plot evolved around what happens following Juliette's release after 15 years in prison (this fact is disclosed 15 minutes into the film), a period when she stays with her younger sister (Zylberstein) who was a teenager when she was convicted and never heard from until two months before her release.
The "suspense" of what happened 15 years ago is no doubt an important element in the film. However, this film is nowhere near to "What ever happened to Baby Jane" (1962). In "longtemps" there is another other equally important premise - how a woman, after spending 15 years in prison with an unspeakable grieve readjusts herself to face the world again. Thomas portrays the transition with impeccable excellence.
While this is the story of an excruciatingly painful journal of a woman, it is well balanced with flashes of humour, which are not merely incidental but also serve to trace Juliette's slow process of freeing herself from her "inner prison". Along the way, there are various people, in fleeting encounters as well as deeper relationships, played by a solid, competent supporting cast. Co-lead Elsa Zylberstein's lovingly wonderful portrayal of the younger sister I have already alluded to.
Rather than becoming a gloomy (albeit well acted) experience, this film softens the agonising story with heart-warming moments, sprinkles of sense of humour and hope in the end. The soft, tender guitar in the background also helps.
The last French film I saw surrounding the relationship between two sisters I was "Les soeurs fachees" in the Hong Kong International Film Festival. While was "Les soeurs fachees" is essentially a comedy and "Il y a longtemps que je t'aime" sombre drama, there is poignancy in the former and humour in the latter that afford them a measure of comparability. The bigger difference, however, is that "longtemps" has a definite focus on one of the two sisters. This film has been characterised variously as Kristin Scott Thomas's "career-best" and "career-defining" performance. Elsa Zylberstein's contribution to the film, however, is no less significant. One could even say that she has a more difficult job because her character is less dramatic and therefore more difficult to bring home.
While this film is not intended to be a mystery or suspense, it is structured in such a way as to disseminate the information about the main character Juliette (Thomas) on a "need to know basis", as someone aptly puts it. As this is indeed the best way for the audience to experience this film, I will not spoil it with any details. Suffices to say that the simple plot evolved around what happens following Juliette's release after 15 years in prison (this fact is disclosed 15 minutes into the film), a period when she stays with her younger sister (Zylberstein) who was a teenager when she was convicted and never heard from until two months before her release.
The "suspense" of what happened 15 years ago is no doubt an important element in the film. However, this film is nowhere near to "What ever happened to Baby Jane" (1962). In "longtemps" there is another other equally important premise - how a woman, after spending 15 years in prison with an unspeakable grieve readjusts herself to face the world again. Thomas portrays the transition with impeccable excellence.
While this is the story of an excruciatingly painful journal of a woman, it is well balanced with flashes of humour, which are not merely incidental but also serve to trace Juliette's slow process of freeing herself from her "inner prison". Along the way, there are various people, in fleeting encounters as well as deeper relationships, played by a solid, competent supporting cast. Co-lead Elsa Zylberstein's lovingly wonderful portrayal of the younger sister I have already alluded to.
Rather than becoming a gloomy (albeit well acted) experience, this film softens the agonising story with heart-warming moments, sprinkles of sense of humour and hope in the end. The soft, tender guitar in the background also helps.
Kristin Scott Thomas superb performance overcomes story weaknesses.
jaybob5 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Over the years,there have been more than a few films where one performance overshadows the weaknesses in the story.
This is one of them.
Kristen Scott Thomas, an actress who has given many great performance is simply excellent & perhaps the main reason to see the movie.
Her performance as a woman who has spent 15 years in prison and is now reunited with her much younger sister, trying to get her life put back in order is simply one of the best.
Ms.Thomas does not have much dialog to say,She needs none, You can see all her emotions in her face & body movements.
This again proves how true Norma Desmond's line in Sunset Boulevard was'we did not need dialog,we had faces' (I may be off on the exact wordage)
I feel she missed out on another Oscar nomination.
This film was the first directorial effort of Phillpe Claudel, He also wrote the screenplay, It is also his first major writing effort.
The major problem of the movie is the screenplay, I will assume that he wrote a much longer script, & in his revisions he cut many items out.There seems to be much missing, Another possibility is that he made much longer film & edited much out.
We slowly find out what she did & why,but many things are left for us to figure out.
The acting by all the others is quite good.
It was film in the Nancy area of France & the scenery is very beautiful.
In conclusion, see the film for Kristen Scott Thomas excellent performance. Just suspend belief of the plot developments.
Ratings: *** (out of 4) 83 points(out of 100) IMBb 7 (out of 10)
This is one of them.
Kristen Scott Thomas, an actress who has given many great performance is simply excellent & perhaps the main reason to see the movie.
Her performance as a woman who has spent 15 years in prison and is now reunited with her much younger sister, trying to get her life put back in order is simply one of the best.
Ms.Thomas does not have much dialog to say,She needs none, You can see all her emotions in her face & body movements.
This again proves how true Norma Desmond's line in Sunset Boulevard was'we did not need dialog,we had faces' (I may be off on the exact wordage)
I feel she missed out on another Oscar nomination.
This film was the first directorial effort of Phillpe Claudel, He also wrote the screenplay, It is also his first major writing effort.
The major problem of the movie is the screenplay, I will assume that he wrote a much longer script, & in his revisions he cut many items out.There seems to be much missing, Another possibility is that he made much longer film & edited much out.
We slowly find out what she did & why,but many things are left for us to figure out.
The acting by all the others is quite good.
It was film in the Nancy area of France & the scenery is very beautiful.
In conclusion, see the film for Kristen Scott Thomas excellent performance. Just suspend belief of the plot developments.
Ratings: *** (out of 4) 83 points(out of 100) IMBb 7 (out of 10)
How do the French do it?
cameronteague4 October 2008
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this film last week in London and it is excellent. Juliette (Scott Thomas) has been in prison for 15 years for killing her 6 year old son. She said nothing in her trial and her husband testified against her. Her much younger sister agrees with Social Services to house her and this is the tale of her rehabilitation. So far, so dull as dishwater, I hear you say. However what follows is as mesmerising as it is enchanting. There are some hilarious moments in her harrowing journey back to peace like the policeman to whom she has to report once a fortnight, who is obsessed with visiting the Orinocco and the café stud who reintroduces her to carnality, but there are also some dark, shocking ones, like when she tells a prospective employer why she was sentenced to 15 years or the visit to her mother living with Alzheimer's in a home. This sombre, grey, pallid woman seemingly drained of emotion gradually comes back to life, gaining both colour in her cheeks and an appetite for the daily joys of life. She is helped in no small part by her sister brilliantly played by Elsa Zylberstein who looks like the now departed and beautiful French actress, Claude Jade. The cherry on the cake is the final denouement when we learn why Juliette killed her son. The sense of intimacy between the two sisters and raw emotion is palpable and that is what will stick with me. This is real acting and real characterisation. If today's US film makers tried to make this, it would be sugary pap and if the British did it, it would be chirpy pap. Only French film makers seem to have the kind of dexterity to take what could easily have ended as some cheap self indulgent tearjerker a la Beaches and turn it into a riveting tale and an emotional roller-coaster. Definitely worth an Oscar but unlikely to get one.
Cloak of Darkness
ferguson-617 November 2008
Greetings again from the darkness. It is difficult to imagine a more heinous crime than killing one's own child. Writer/director Phillippe Claudel understands this and certainly uses it to his advantage in the film.
Count me onboard with the hoopla surrounding Kristin Scott Thomas' performance. She exudes isolation, inner turmoil and loneliness. Watching her ever-so-slow return to civilization is realistic and painful ... both for her and the viewer. Her physical looks (dowdy and dreary with dark circles); her mannerisms (always clutching and covering up); and her speech (mostly grunts, nods and monosyllabic answers) combine for a terrific dramatic turn.
I found it most interesting how she was initially drawn towards the police captain, who turned out to be as miserable as she; and the grandfather, who could only communicate through post it notes. Her small shots of comfort came through these most unusual sources, at least until she began to trust life again.
Elsa Zylberstein (one of the worst screen names) is not garnering much attention for her critical role as Juliette's sister. Personally, I thought she was outstanding and very believable as the guilt-ridden sister trying so hard to make amends, while still tending to the every day pressures of career, motherhood, and care-taking of her husband and his father.
The problem I have with the film is that the story line basically seems improbable at best, an incredulous at worst. I just don't understand how the killing of her son and the subsequent trial could have come off the way it supposedly did. The fact that the reveal occurs very near the end of the film leads me to believe that Mr. Claudel felt much the same way. A must see for KST performance, but you will need to get over the basis for her imprisonment.
Count me onboard with the hoopla surrounding Kristin Scott Thomas' performance. She exudes isolation, inner turmoil and loneliness. Watching her ever-so-slow return to civilization is realistic and painful ... both for her and the viewer. Her physical looks (dowdy and dreary with dark circles); her mannerisms (always clutching and covering up); and her speech (mostly grunts, nods and monosyllabic answers) combine for a terrific dramatic turn.
I found it most interesting how she was initially drawn towards the police captain, who turned out to be as miserable as she; and the grandfather, who could only communicate through post it notes. Her small shots of comfort came through these most unusual sources, at least until she began to trust life again.
Elsa Zylberstein (one of the worst screen names) is not garnering much attention for her critical role as Juliette's sister. Personally, I thought she was outstanding and very believable as the guilt-ridden sister trying so hard to make amends, while still tending to the every day pressures of career, motherhood, and care-taking of her husband and his father.
The problem I have with the film is that the story line basically seems improbable at best, an incredulous at worst. I just don't understand how the killing of her son and the subsequent trial could have come off the way it supposedly did. The fact that the reveal occurs very near the end of the film leads me to believe that Mr. Claudel felt much the same way. A must see for KST performance, but you will need to get over the basis for her imprisonment.
Good acting and a touching story
Flowergirl_10612 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Il y Longtemps que je t'aime is a simple and beautiful movie about loss, love and life. Kirstin Scott Thomas plays a woman who leaves prison after 15 years. She goes to live with her younger sister, who was only a teenager when she was locked up and now has a whole life with a husband and two children. She now has to find a new place in the world, and acceptance from those around her. Kirsten Scott Thomas gives an excellent performance, and speaks fluent french with only a little bit of an accent. The images are basic and often the actors appear without makeup, which gives the movie a realistic effect.
I personally was moved by the way she tries to find her way, find a job and meets new people. At first she hardly talks, but slowly she starts to remember why life is fun and good. The ending is a happy one, maybe not in the typical way but the characters do find closure. Over all a film that is not outstandingly great, but definitely worth watching especially when you like the french, simple style.
I personally was moved by the way she tries to find her way, find a job and meets new people. At first she hardly talks, but slowly she starts to remember why life is fun and good. The ending is a happy one, maybe not in the typical way but the characters do find closure. Over all a film that is not outstandingly great, but definitely worth watching especially when you like the french, simple style.
I waited so long... to find out it was just another French movie
rhinocerosfive-16 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Yes. Kristin Scott Thomas is reason enough to see any movie, with the possible exception of UNDER THE CHERRY MOON. And yes, her performance is plenty of reason to see IL Y A LONGTEMPS QUE JE T'AIME. But if you call this a good movie, well, that's where you and I differ.
First, a mystery's a mystery only if I am moved to discover the secret. The traditional method of building suspense is to leave a trail of clues. I admit that this film's top-loaded with hints that the protagonist may be a monster: she's cold, she's distant, she yells at the kid. Then, for the next hour and a half, she turns directly into the best little auntie a girl could have, on a trajectory to sainthood. This about-face dispels any lingering concern about her behavior, or culpability, and makes the voila no surprise at all. Am I intrigued along the way? A bit. Which ain't a lot.
Second, a character study's a character study only if there's a character to study. The married sister, the lovelorn professor, the cop: these are characters. Juliette's barely a human being. She stares in silent melancholy, she makes brittle small talk, she embraces surrogate motherhood. That's a little thin. I'm not saying Ms Thomas doesn't fill the role: in a superhuman effort, she manages to turn this character into a sort of person. The problem is that Philippe Claudel did not make the same effort. He repeatedly substitutes the soulful glance for the telling moment until my patience is as irretrievable as Pierre.
Third, and this isn't the film's fault per se, why does everybody keep talking about how subtle this movie is? A movie isn't subtle just because it's in French. The viewer is beaten about the face with a single theme (isolation vs assimilation) for two hours. The only tonal difference between this and a Jerry Bruckheimer movie is volume.
Fourth, why is it that every indie hit has to have music that sounds like it was composed for an East Village yoga class?
First, a mystery's a mystery only if I am moved to discover the secret. The traditional method of building suspense is to leave a trail of clues. I admit that this film's top-loaded with hints that the protagonist may be a monster: she's cold, she's distant, she yells at the kid. Then, for the next hour and a half, she turns directly into the best little auntie a girl could have, on a trajectory to sainthood. This about-face dispels any lingering concern about her behavior, or culpability, and makes the voila no surprise at all. Am I intrigued along the way? A bit. Which ain't a lot.
Second, a character study's a character study only if there's a character to study. The married sister, the lovelorn professor, the cop: these are characters. Juliette's barely a human being. She stares in silent melancholy, she makes brittle small talk, she embraces surrogate motherhood. That's a little thin. I'm not saying Ms Thomas doesn't fill the role: in a superhuman effort, she manages to turn this character into a sort of person. The problem is that Philippe Claudel did not make the same effort. He repeatedly substitutes the soulful glance for the telling moment until my patience is as irretrievable as Pierre.
Third, and this isn't the film's fault per se, why does everybody keep talking about how subtle this movie is? A movie isn't subtle just because it's in French. The viewer is beaten about the face with a single theme (isolation vs assimilation) for two hours. The only tonal difference between this and a Jerry Bruckheimer movie is volume.
Fourth, why is it that every indie hit has to have music that sounds like it was composed for an East Village yoga class?
There's no excuse for death
Il y a longtemps que je t'aime
jaredmobarak1 January 2009
Warning: Spoilers
From the start, you know that there has to be some kind of huge revelation at the end; everything builds towards that outcome. I'm not saying that the film is slight or contains a simple storyline, but rather it is a very well constructed narrative building tension until its inevitable release. That discovery could either be tragic or redemptive and the push and pull stays with you as you wait for it, unknowing which option will win out. Here is a woman who has spent the past fifteen years in prison for killing her son and now she is in her sister's house with two young children. That sibling, Léa, believes Juliette to be fine and wanting to be part of civilization again, but her husband Luc has other ideas, mainly a fear to leave his kids alone with her. Juliette is a total wildcardso ambivalent and even at times meanthat you wouldn't be surprised if she made his worst nightmare come true.
And that is pretty much the story at hand. Can this woman, back from prison, live her life again? No one knows what really happened those fifteen years ago, she is tightlipped right from the psychological review taken at her trial to now and everyone else is too afraid to ask. The guilt of what she has done is eating away at her, and truth be told, Kristen Scott Thomas portrays it to perfection. Her eyes are sad throughout, even when those few instances of a smile creep onto her face. The tragedy weighs heavy on her heart and the secret everyone is keeping just exacerbates it even more. Told she has been traveling to the children and that she was living in the south to her sister's colleagues, no one knows why this woman was hidden from them all. It is a tense moment at a dinner party when the secret finally appears as though it will be spilled. The reaction from all, juxtaposed with Juliette's, Léa's, Luc's, and a friend Marcel's faces, just shows how preconceptions can rule anyone's thought process. Looking back now, I have to say that Thomas is most deserving of any awards being strewn about for actresses this season. With my surprise front-runner being Anne Hathaway previously, I'll just say that Thomas, someone else I've never really held a high affinity for, has leapfrogged into the lead.
It's tough to say much more about the story then what has already been spoken, as I do not want to ruin the ending. Everything that happensevery relationship, misguided fear, surprise sign of love, and rough moments only bringing to light tragic memoriesbuilds to the final scene, that final confrontation between sisters, once and for all opening their eyes to the bond between them and the events that transpired to tear them apart. Instead, I can only give more acclaim to the rest of this French-speaking cast. My favorite supporting player is Laurent Grévill's Marcel, an older teacher friend of Léa's that becomes smitten with Juliette. He is a secretive man himself with a past that he hides from those around him and proves to be the perfect person to help her break free of her past, to realize that she is "still here". Mention needs to also be made for Elsa Zylberstein and Serge Hazanavicius as Léa and Luc. Hazanavicius is nice as the husband still unsure about having a murderer living in the house with his children who slowly finds his heart thaw as he witnesses the joy those young ones receive from her. Zylberstein shines in multiple instances, as she herself must reconcile her feelings of rediscovering this woman who has been out of her life for so long. Told by her parents to forget her sister ever existed, Léa never gave up hope or erased this person that was such a huge part of her life. When she must explain the process she went through to settle on an occupation to pursue in school, or why she adopted her children, the emotion and realism comes out strong. I think her most memorable scene involves a debate with students about Dostoyevsky and whether a masterpiece of literature can truly be the end-all be-all on a subject such as murder. Here is a woman that has a murderer as close to her as one can, and to be able to speak of that fact in literary terms despite her own personal experiences is impossible.
I've Loved You So Long is a film that digs in and doesn't let go until the final frame. Tough subject matter and events that go into some pretty dark places may turn some people off, but it is all handled so perfectly that its overall strength hinges on those moments. Powerful throughout, Thomas embodies this broken creature attempting to mend her wings to continue on with her life. She may never be able to be the successfully married doctor and mother she was, but if she can get back to a place where her guilt and self-loathing disappears, she has a chance to live happily with a family she didn't know would still be there after everything that had happened.
And that is pretty much the story at hand. Can this woman, back from prison, live her life again? No one knows what really happened those fifteen years ago, she is tightlipped right from the psychological review taken at her trial to now and everyone else is too afraid to ask. The guilt of what she has done is eating away at her, and truth be told, Kristen Scott Thomas portrays it to perfection. Her eyes are sad throughout, even when those few instances of a smile creep onto her face. The tragedy weighs heavy on her heart and the secret everyone is keeping just exacerbates it even more. Told she has been traveling to the children and that she was living in the south to her sister's colleagues, no one knows why this woman was hidden from them all. It is a tense moment at a dinner party when the secret finally appears as though it will be spilled. The reaction from all, juxtaposed with Juliette's, Léa's, Luc's, and a friend Marcel's faces, just shows how preconceptions can rule anyone's thought process. Looking back now, I have to say that Thomas is most deserving of any awards being strewn about for actresses this season. With my surprise front-runner being Anne Hathaway previously, I'll just say that Thomas, someone else I've never really held a high affinity for, has leapfrogged into the lead.
It's tough to say much more about the story then what has already been spoken, as I do not want to ruin the ending. Everything that happensevery relationship, misguided fear, surprise sign of love, and rough moments only bringing to light tragic memoriesbuilds to the final scene, that final confrontation between sisters, once and for all opening their eyes to the bond between them and the events that transpired to tear them apart. Instead, I can only give more acclaim to the rest of this French-speaking cast. My favorite supporting player is Laurent Grévill's Marcel, an older teacher friend of Léa's that becomes smitten with Juliette. He is a secretive man himself with a past that he hides from those around him and proves to be the perfect person to help her break free of her past, to realize that she is "still here". Mention needs to also be made for Elsa Zylberstein and Serge Hazanavicius as Léa and Luc. Hazanavicius is nice as the husband still unsure about having a murderer living in the house with his children who slowly finds his heart thaw as he witnesses the joy those young ones receive from her. Zylberstein shines in multiple instances, as she herself must reconcile her feelings of rediscovering this woman who has been out of her life for so long. Told by her parents to forget her sister ever existed, Léa never gave up hope or erased this person that was such a huge part of her life. When she must explain the process she went through to settle on an occupation to pursue in school, or why she adopted her children, the emotion and realism comes out strong. I think her most memorable scene involves a debate with students about Dostoyevsky and whether a masterpiece of literature can truly be the end-all be-all on a subject such as murder. Here is a woman that has a murderer as close to her as one can, and to be able to speak of that fact in literary terms despite her own personal experiences is impossible.
I've Loved You So Long is a film that digs in and doesn't let go until the final frame. Tough subject matter and events that go into some pretty dark places may turn some people off, but it is all handled so perfectly that its overall strength hinges on those moments. Powerful throughout, Thomas embodies this broken creature attempting to mend her wings to continue on with her life. She may never be able to be the successfully married doctor and mother she was, but if she can get back to a place where her guilt and self-loathing disappears, she has a chance to live happily with a family she didn't know would still be there after everything that had happened.
We Never Know What A Person Has Been Through
jzappa14 May 2010
Phillippe Claudel's mysterious, pacifying film unfolds with a scenario reminiscent somewhat of Jonathan Demme's chaotic, naturalistic Rachel Getting Married. One sister is discharged from an institution for a reunion with another sister who is not elated to see her. Both former sisters are deemed to blame for a devastating tragedy some long years ago. There are delicate doubts as to whether either one can be "trusted" even now. One of the sisters is Juliette, played by Kristin Scott Thomas, one of those actresses who can transpose freely between different languages. In French, her feelings seem more liberated.
Not that there is any bliss to be found for her here, as she plays a woman who seems so cold, unfriendly, looking as if to perpetually favor being somewhere else, someone with no drive left for affectation. And yet when she hits it off with the two adopted Vietnamese daughters of her sister, it's an affection, a fleeting tenderness, that feels unrehearsed and not phony or "indicated." She also arrives back to the diffidence of her sister's husband and his father. Her brother-in-law doesn't receive her warmly. He's uncomfortable about her being with the children. Dad has displaced the ability to talk and absorbs all of his time by reading books. Claudel's script is comprised of day-to-day, unmelodramatic occurrences and concise dialogue.
His convention of fading gradually to black between scenes and the sneaky intonations of Jean-Louis Aubert's score imply a cryptic aura that is both suited to the story and a bit dependent. Effectively, the film searches the past very distantly. Everyone is averse to mentioning it, unless it's obliquely. No one gambles by asking her anything explicitly. At a dinner party that starts off with an awkwardly upbeat air, one of the guests gets virtually vindictive kick out of asking Juliette questions it is obvious she will not answer. This is civilized cruelty masquerading as simple interest. However, a divulgence comes right at the end that is both phenomenally compelling and a little affected, in the way that the resolution of a mystery is.
This about-face does not weaken the seminal effect of Ms. Scott Thomas's complex, taut and purely masterful performance, but it does reveal a vulnerability in the drama diffuse the existential discontent that up till that point defines it. Though depending on the viewer it could be a gratification, it could also be a slump, not at all because the revelation itself is disappointing---in fact it makes perfect sense to the graveness of the entire film leading up to it---but because the whole film seems to be hinging on saving it for the final scene. Nevertheless, Claudel is pleasurably entrenched in nuances of environment and characters. And although Juliette's abysmal past permeates all else, it could be read as a newly freed person's reawakening to the small pleasures and follies of real life.
Not that there is any bliss to be found for her here, as she plays a woman who seems so cold, unfriendly, looking as if to perpetually favor being somewhere else, someone with no drive left for affectation. And yet when she hits it off with the two adopted Vietnamese daughters of her sister, it's an affection, a fleeting tenderness, that feels unrehearsed and not phony or "indicated." She also arrives back to the diffidence of her sister's husband and his father. Her brother-in-law doesn't receive her warmly. He's uncomfortable about her being with the children. Dad has displaced the ability to talk and absorbs all of his time by reading books. Claudel's script is comprised of day-to-day, unmelodramatic occurrences and concise dialogue.
His convention of fading gradually to black between scenes and the sneaky intonations of Jean-Louis Aubert's score imply a cryptic aura that is both suited to the story and a bit dependent. Effectively, the film searches the past very distantly. Everyone is averse to mentioning it, unless it's obliquely. No one gambles by asking her anything explicitly. At a dinner party that starts off with an awkwardly upbeat air, one of the guests gets virtually vindictive kick out of asking Juliette questions it is obvious she will not answer. This is civilized cruelty masquerading as simple interest. However, a divulgence comes right at the end that is both phenomenally compelling and a little affected, in the way that the resolution of a mystery is.
This about-face does not weaken the seminal effect of Ms. Scott Thomas's complex, taut and purely masterful performance, but it does reveal a vulnerability in the drama diffuse the existential discontent that up till that point defines it. Though depending on the viewer it could be a gratification, it could also be a slump, not at all because the revelation itself is disappointing---in fact it makes perfect sense to the graveness of the entire film leading up to it---but because the whole film seems to be hinging on saving it for the final scene. Nevertheless, Claudel is pleasurably entrenched in nuances of environment and characters. And although Juliette's abysmal past permeates all else, it could be read as a newly freed person's reawakening to the small pleasures and follies of real life.
Hysteria! The kind of stuff that so nauseated Celine.
karlericsson3 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Celine wrote that he was disgusted about the bourgeoisie, who could weep over some sentimental nonsense in a cinema and never fail to turn their back on real misery. This movie brings Celine's writing to mind. Here we have somebody so taken up by herself that she lets near ones and dear ones believe that she is a child murderer for no good reason, which probably brings her dad to an early death and makes her mother insane. All this because she cannot take her sorrow and instead plunges into a life where she is hated in order to bring her thoughts on something else. It's so dumb, that it just isn't believable. To take a rap of 15 years in prison as self-inflicted punishment, takes a saint and a saint does not let her parents suffer in vain. You cannot have the cake and eat it as well, as the script-writers of this c-p seem to think. The performance of the lead actress is nevertheless so outstanding, that you almost buy it. What a waste!
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