Ex-con Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) readjusts to life outside prison in Philippe Claudel’s engrossing I’ve Loved You So Long
Though the crux of I've Loved You So Long relies on expected audience outrage around a big buzzword ethical issue, it reveals itself as an unsettling rumination on the nature of guilt; a homespun French version of Crime and Punishment. The film opens with Lea (Elsa Zylberstein), a young literature professor, on her way to pick up her sister, Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) at the airport. The two seem unfamiliar and distant from one another — understandable, given that the two haven't seen each other for 15 years. Lea has brought her sister to live with her family in rural France in order to aid Juliette in rebuilding her life after she has been released from prison.
As Juliette becomes immersed in the daily lives of her new family (dad, two kids and grandpa), the film slowly pieces together why she spent 15 years in prison, and in one particularly devastating scene, nonchalantly reveals her crime.
The film then becomes both a mystery about Juliette’s past and a look at the rebuilding of her life. As the curiosity builds for Lea's friends and family around her mysterious sister, the film ratchets up the tension as it leads everyone to confront her crime and the motives behind it. When the necessary explanation comes, it feels almost perfunctory — the film is much more interesting when examining the realities of a middle-aged woman forced to rebuild her life and acclimate to a world that she barely recognizes. As Juliette takes the first steps towards rejoining society — getting a job, going on a date — the weight of lost time constantly threatens to consume her.
Though plainly shot, director Philippe Claudel uses subtle reveals to dig into the family’s life, aided by lingering shots of the gorgeous French countryside. The performances are uniformly strong — Zylberstein as the stately and scholarly sister; her husband, Luc (Serge Hazanavicius), suspicious of Juliette's presence in his home; and Michel (Laurent Grevill), Juliette's would-be suitor. The film centres on Scott Thomas's nuanced and amazing performance, her meditative presence made of multiple subtle touches — quiet pauses and obsessive chain-smoking — that hide a sublimated fury.
I've Loved You So Long feels like the best of pastoral novels, all slow burn, minute description and creeping tension. Hopefully, this fantastic sleeper finds a wide audience.
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