writ. and dir. Philippe Claudel
feat. Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius, Frederic Pierrot, Claire Johnston, Olivier Cruveiller
I've Loved You So Long pulls off a clever bit of deception, disguising itself as the mystery of a quiet, onetime murder, Juliette (Thomas), her return to civilization after a long stint in prison, and the question of why she murdered her young son. In fact, it's about the distance between people and the sometimes slow, awkward process of bridging that gap. Elsa (Zylberstein), Juliette's much younger sibling, barely knew her sister at the time of the crime and initially takes her in upon her release largely out of familial obligation. Their parents rejected Juliette after the crime, never visiting her in prison nor speaking of her, leaving Elsa in the cold, without even reminiscence to paint a picture of the missing family member.
Working to provide a warm and welcoming home for a virtual stranger, Elsa struggles to connect with her sister, battling Juliette's withdrawn, taciturn, and often angry demeanor. Without much warmth and seeming unapologetic for the murder of her son, Juliette's attempt to rebuild her life proceeds slowly and fitfully. This painfully slow and stumbling progress works beautifully and believably, free of the easy and conveniently timed psychological catharsis of Hollywood cinema. Most impressively, the greatest leaps forward are not in Juliette's ability to adapt to the world, nor in the revelation of her reasons for that tragic act, but in the depth and understanding between the two sisters.
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