I've Loved You So Long
Encyclopedia
I've Loved You So Long is a 2008 French-language drama film
written and directed by Philippe Claudel
. It tells the story of a woman struggling to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.
. Léa, a college professor of literature, is considerably younger than Juliette. The younger woman recalls little about her childhood. Because of the nature of Juliette's crime (a secret which is revealed at the end of the film), their parents denied Juliette's existence and refused to allow Léa to visit her. In addition, Juliette had refused to speak throughout her trial. As a result, Léa knows nothing about the circumstances surrounding the crime and, when pressed for details, Juliette refuses to discuss what happened.
While struggling to find employment, Juliette enjoys platonic companionship with two men, probation officer Capt. Fauré, who understands how prison can damage the human spirit and shares with her his dream of seeing the Orinoco River, and Michel, one of her sister's colleagues. She also develops a close relationship with her young nieces, much to the distress of their father, who is concerned about their safety while in their aunt's presence.
Juliette finds work transcribing medical records for a hospital, where her supervisor encourages her to be more friendly with her co-workers when they complain about her being cold and distant. But Juliette has been confined for so long she feels dehumanized and finds it difficult to relate to others. She agrees to accompany Léa when she visits their mother, who is confined to a nursing home with Alzheimer's disease
. For a brief moment the woman recognizes and embraces her, remembering her as a little girl rather than the estranged daughter who murdered her grandson.
Gradually, Juliette begins to fit in with her family, makes friends and is given a permanent job. Léa then accidentally discovers a clue to Juliette's secret, leading to the film's final revelations: Juliette was a well respected doctor; her young son had been diagnosed with a fatal and painful disease. When the disease progressed, Juliette had euthanized him so he wouldn't suffer. During her trial, she had felt so guilty for what she had done, she hadn't defended herself. Lea confronts Juliette with what she has learned and asks why she had never explained or asked for help leading to an emotional breakdown between the sisters. Juliette, finally able to express her feelings and describe in detail what she did and why, is able to come to terms with the past and move on.
on February 14, 2008 and opened in France and Belgium on March 19. It was shown at the Telluride Film Festival
, the Toronto International Film Festival
, the Cambridge Film Festival
, the Vancouver International Film Festival
, and the Chicago International Film Festival
before going into limited theatrical release in the US on October 24, when it opened on nine screens and earned US$72,205 on its opening weekend. It eventually grossed US$3,110,292 in the US and US$15,735,514 in foreign markets for a total worldwide box office of US$18,845,806.
s for I've Loved You So Long were generally positive, earning a 90% freshness rating at Rotten Tomatoes
based on 115 reviews as of May 23, 2009. The consensus stated that I've Loved You So Long is a sublimely acted family drama as well as a noteworthy directorial debut from Phillipe Claudel. The film fared 79% worth of 28 generally favorable reviews amongst critics at Metacritic
.
". Derek Elley of Variety
called the film "utterly engrossing despite being, on the surface, about very little" and added, "Claudel's script is built out of everyday, unmelodramatic events, succinctly dialogued and not nearly as downbeat as the movie sounds on paper." Kenneth Turan was even more positive, describing the film as "An example of the French tradition of high-quality adult melodrama, conventional in technique but not story, this thoughtful, provocative film is slow developing because it's all about character".
Scott was not entirely convinced by the film's ending. He wrote, "A revelation comes near the end that is both tremendously moving and a bit disappointing, in the way that the solutions to great mysteries frequently are. This turn does not diminish the accomplishment of Ms. Scott Thomas’s deep, subtle and altogether stunning performance, but it does alter the scale of the movie, turning it into a more manageable, less existentially unsettling drama. Which is a relief, I suppose, but also a bit of a letdown."
Mick LaSalle
of the San Francisco Chronicle
rhapsodised:
Elley too found Scott Thomas to be "aces in the lead role, with flashes of mordant wit that prevent it from becoming a dreary study in self-pity." However, he felt that "Zylberstein, a variable actress who's very dependent on her directors, is good here, but lacks Scott Thomas' quiet heft and can't quite handle Lea's occasional emotional outbursts. Still, the sisters' dramatic final talk works just fine."
The critics also praised Claudel's direction. Scott wrote, "Mr. Claudel is gratifyingly absorbed in details of setting and character. And even though the unfathomable horror in Juliette’s past dominates everything else, the small felicities and absurdities of real life manage to peek through the gloom." LaSalle praised his work with the actors:
, Josh Rosenblatt of the Austin Chronicle
, Steve Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter
, Anthony Lane
of The New Yorker
, Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post, and David Denby
of The New Yorker
.
format in the US on March 3. It has an audio track in French with English subtitles and an English audio track with Kristin Scott Thomas dubbing her own dialogue. Bonus features include deleted scenes with optional commentary by Philippe Claudel.
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
written and directed by Philippe Claudel
Philippe Claudel
Philippe Claudel , is a French writer and film director.Claudel was born in Dombasle-sur-Meurthe, Meurthe-et-Moselle. In addition to his writing, Claudel is a Professor of Literature at the University of Nancy....
. It tells the story of a woman struggling to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.
Plot
When Juliette Fontaine is released from prison after serving a fifteen-year sentence, her younger sister Léa invites her to stay with her family - including her husband Luc, his mute father Papy Paul, and their two adopted Vietnamese daughters, P'tit Lys and Emelia - in their home in the university town of Nancy in LorraineLorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
. Léa, a college professor of literature, is considerably younger than Juliette. The younger woman recalls little about her childhood. Because of the nature of Juliette's crime (a secret which is revealed at the end of the film), their parents denied Juliette's existence and refused to allow Léa to visit her. In addition, Juliette had refused to speak throughout her trial. As a result, Léa knows nothing about the circumstances surrounding the crime and, when pressed for details, Juliette refuses to discuss what happened.
While struggling to find employment, Juliette enjoys platonic companionship with two men, probation officer Capt. Fauré, who understands how prison can damage the human spirit and shares with her his dream of seeing the Orinoco River, and Michel, one of her sister's colleagues. She also develops a close relationship with her young nieces, much to the distress of their father, who is concerned about their safety while in their aunt's presence.
Juliette finds work transcribing medical records for a hospital, where her supervisor encourages her to be more friendly with her co-workers when they complain about her being cold and distant. But Juliette has been confined for so long she feels dehumanized and finds it difficult to relate to others. She agrees to accompany Léa when she visits their mother, who is confined to a nursing home with Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
. For a brief moment the woman recognizes and embraces her, remembering her as a little girl rather than the estranged daughter who murdered her grandson.
Gradually, Juliette begins to fit in with her family, makes friends and is given a permanent job. Léa then accidentally discovers a clue to Juliette's secret, leading to the film's final revelations: Juliette was a well respected doctor; her young son had been diagnosed with a fatal and painful disease. When the disease progressed, Juliette had euthanized him so he wouldn't suffer. During her trial, she had felt so guilty for what she had done, she hadn't defended herself. Lea confronts Juliette with what she has learned and asks why she had never explained or asked for help leading to an emotional breakdown between the sisters. Juliette, finally able to express her feelings and describe in detail what she did and why, is able to come to terms with the past and move on.
Cast
- Kristin Scott ThomasKristin Scott ThomasKristin A. Scott Thomas, OBE is an English actress who has also acquired French nationality. She gained international recognition in the 1990s for her roles in Bitter Moon, Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient....
as Juliette Fontaine - Elsa ZylbersteinElsa ZylbersteinElsa Zylberstein is a French film, TV, and stage actress. After studying drama, Zylberstein began her film career in 1989, and has appeared in about 50 films...
as Léa - Serge Hazanavicius as Luc
- Laurent Grévill as Michel
- Frédéric PierrotFrédéric PierrotFrédéric Pierrot is a French actor. He has appeared in over 75 films and television shows since 1986. He starred in the film Tell Me I'm Dreaming, which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival....
as Capt. Fauré - Jean-Claude Arnaud as Papy Paul
- Claire Johnston as Mother
- Lise Ségur as P'tit Lys
- Mouss Zouheyri as Samir
Theatrical release
The film premiered at the Berlin International Film FestivalBerlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
on February 14, 2008 and opened in France and Belgium on March 19. It was shown at the Telluride Film Festival
Telluride Film Festival
The Telluride Film Festival was started in 1974 by Bill and Stella Pence, Tom Luddy and Jim Card in the town of Telluride, Colorado, United States. It is operated by the National Film Preserve....
, the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
, the Cambridge Film Festival
Cambridge Film Festival
The Cambridge Film Festival is one of the biggest film festivals in the UK. The festival historically took place during early July, but now takes place annually during September in Cambridge....
, the Vancouver International Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
The Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
, and the Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
before going into limited theatrical release in the US on October 24, when it opened on nine screens and earned US$72,205 on its opening weekend. It eventually grossed US$3,110,292 in the US and US$15,735,514 in foreign markets for a total worldwide box office of US$18,845,806.
Critical reception
ReviewReview
A review is an evaluation of a publication, a product or a service, such as a movie , video game, musical composition , book ; a piece of hardware like a car, home appliance, or computer; or an event or performance, such as a live music concert, a play, musical theater show or dance show...
s for I've Loved You So Long were generally positive, earning a 90% freshness rating at Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
based on 115 reviews as of May 23, 2009. The consensus stated that I've Loved You So Long is a sublimely acted family drama as well as a noteworthy directorial debut from Phillipe Claudel. The film fared 79% worth of 28 generally favorable reviews amongst critics at Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
.
Tone
Critics noted the film's potentially problematic mixture of tones, as it veers between foreboding and sentimentality. A.O. Scott of the New York Times said, "Mr. Claudel’s practice of fading slowly to black between scenes, and the spidery tones of Jean-Louis Aubert’s score, create an atmosphere of mystery and dread that is both appropriate to the story and a little misleading. If I’ve Loved You So Long is not exactly a horror movie, it is nonetheless filled with fear and foreboding . . . This kind of narrative is familiar enough, and so are the risks of sentimental talk-show piety associated with it." He concluded, however, that the film has a "tough-minded resistance to the temptations of melodramaMelodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
". Derek Elley of Variety
Variety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
called the film "utterly engrossing despite being, on the surface, about very little" and added, "Claudel's script is built out of everyday, unmelodramatic events, succinctly dialogued and not nearly as downbeat as the movie sounds on paper." Kenneth Turan was even more positive, describing the film as "An example of the French tradition of high-quality adult melodrama, conventional in technique but not story, this thoughtful, provocative film is slow developing because it's all about character".
Scott was not entirely convinced by the film's ending. He wrote, "A revelation comes near the end that is both tremendously moving and a bit disappointing, in the way that the solutions to great mysteries frequently are. This turn does not diminish the accomplishment of Ms. Scott Thomas’s deep, subtle and altogether stunning performance, but it does alter the scale of the movie, turning it into a more manageable, less existentially unsettling drama. Which is a relief, I suppose, but also a bit of a letdown."
Acting and direction
Critics praised the acting, especially that of Kristin Scott-Thomas. A.O. Scott felt that she mitigated the film's tonal problems: "Luckily, Ms. Scott Thomas’s furious honesty rules out easy, unearned redemption". Turan wrote,- "When you're doing a film like this, you want the best acting you can get, and writer and first-time director Philippe Claudel chose brilliantly when he picked Kristin Scott Thomas to star as the shattered Juliette . . . I've Loved You is not without weaknesses . . . but performances this strong and direction this sensitive make us simply grateful to have an emotional story we can sink our teeth into and enjoy."
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle
Mick LaSalle is an American Mick LaSalle is an [[United States|American]] Mick LaSalle is an [[United States|American]] [[film reviewer] and the author of two books on pre-[[Motion Picture Production Code|Hays Code]] Hollywood...
of the San Francisco Chronicle
San Francisco Chronicle
thumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
rhapsodised:
- "Kristin Scott Thomas' performance . . . is one of a small handful of highlights by which people will remember this year in movies. This is acting at its most exalted. This is film being used for its supreme purpose and function, to show us, moment by moment, the grand movements of a soul. If we're lucky, we get one or two gifts like this a year . . . I've Loved You So Long is worth seeing more than once, just to watch how Thomas scores the performance from beginning to end . . . [She] plays Juliette as someone with no energy left for pretense . . . At all times, she has about her an aura of sadness and defensiveness . . . None of this is actually spoken in writer-director Philippe Claudel's screenplay."
Elley too found Scott Thomas to be "aces in the lead role, with flashes of mordant wit that prevent it from becoming a dreary study in self-pity." However, he felt that "Zylberstein, a variable actress who's very dependent on her directors, is good here, but lacks Scott Thomas' quiet heft and can't quite handle Lea's occasional emotional outbursts. Still, the sisters' dramatic final talk works just fine."
The critics also praised Claudel's direction. Scott wrote, "Mr. Claudel is gratifyingly absorbed in details of setting and character. And even though the unfathomable horror in Juliette’s past dominates everything else, the small felicities and absurdities of real life manage to peek through the gloom." LaSalle praised his work with the actors:
- "It's the beauty of Claudel's design that he is able to suggest the specific nature of Juliette's conflict through pictures, by setting up moments of tension and then generously showing us the face of his lead actress . . . They say a director has to make three great films before he can be called a great. For his debut film, Claudel can check off the first box. He proves himself as adept at controlling a story as he is at directing actors, and his intuitive leap - casting Thomas - was inspired and transformative. He has made Thomas sexy and volatile and has turned her into an actress whose future movies absolutely must be seen."
Top tens
The film was cited as one of the year's ten best by many critics, including Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News, Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, Rick Groen of The Globe and MailThe Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, Josh Rosenblatt of the Austin Chronicle
Austin Chronicle
The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly, tabloid-style newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demographic...
, Steve Rea of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Ray Bennett of The Hollywood Reporter
The Hollywood Reporter
Formerly a daily trade magazine, The Hollywood Reporter re-launched in late 2010 as a unique hybrid publication serving the entertainment industry and a consumer audience...
, Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane
Anthony Lane is a film critic for The New Yorker magazine.-Personal life:Lane lives in Cambridge with Allison Pearson, a British writer and former Daily Mail columnist...
of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
, Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post, and David Denby
David Denby (film critic)
David Denby is an American journalist, best known as a film critic for The New Yorker magazine.-Background and education:Denby grew up in New York City. He received a B.A...
of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
.
Awards and nominations
- BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English LanguageBAFTA Award for Best FilmThis page lists the winners and nominees for the BAFTA Award for Best Film, BAFTA Award for Best Film not in the English Language and Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film for each year, in addition to the retired earlier versions of those awards...
(winner) - BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading RoleBest Actress in a Leading Role is a British Academy Film award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts to recognise an actress who has delivered an outstanding leading performance in a film.- Winners and nominees :...
(Kristin Scott Thomas, nominee) - BAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayBAFTA Award for Best Original ScreenplayThe BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay is the British Academy Film Award for the best script not based upon previously published material. It has been awarded since 1984, when the original category was split into two awards, the other being the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted...
(nominee) - British Independent Film Award for Best Foreign FilmBritish Independent Film Awards 2008The 11th British Independent Film Awards, held on 30 November 2008 at the Old Billingsgate Market in London, honoured the best British independent films of 2008.-Best British Independent Film:* Slumdog Millionaire* Hunger* In Bruges...
(nominee) - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language FilmChicago Film Critics Association Awards 2008The 21st Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, given by the CFCA on December 18, 2008, honored the best in film for 2008. Disney/Pixar's WALL-E became the most successful film on this years' ceremony, won four awards, including Best Film, out of five nominations...
(nominee) - César Award for Best DebutCésar Award for Best DebutThe César Award for Best Debut was an award given out at the annual César Awards between 1982 and 1999...
(Philippe Claudel, winner) - César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting RoleCésar Award for Best Actress in a Supporting RoleList of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Supporting Actress .-Winners:Adapted from the article , from Wikinfo, licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License....
(Elsa Zylberstein, winner) - César Award for Best FilmCésar Award for Best FilmThe winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Film .-1970s:-1980s:-1990s:-2000s:-2010s:...
(nominee) - César Award for Best ActressCésar Award for Best ActressList of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Actress .-Winners and nominees:...
(Scott Thomas, nominee) - César Award for Best Original ScreenplayCésar Award for Best WritingThis is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Writing .-1975–1979:*1975: Bertrand Tavernier, Jean Aurenche: Que la fête commence...
(nominee) - César Award for Best Music Written for a FilmCésar Award for Best Music Written for a FilmThis is the list of winners and nominees of the César Award for Best Music Written for a Film . Before 2000, the award was called "César Award for Best Music".-1970s:...
(Jean-Louis Aubert, nominee) - Critic Award of Zygmunt Kałużyński, International Film Festival TOFIFESTTofifestThe TOFIFEST International Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Toruń, Poland.It is one of the fastest growing film festivals in Poland and the mission of the Festival is to promote independent cinema...
2009 (winner) - European Film Award for Best European ActressEuropean Film Awards 2008The 21st Annual European Film Awards took place on December 6, 2008 in Copenhagen, Denmark.-Best European Actor: Toni Servillo - Gomorrah and Il Divo Michael Fassbender - Hunger Thure Lindhardt and Mads Mikkelsen - Flame & Citron James McAvoy - Atonement Jürgen Vogel - The Wave Elmar Wepper -...
(Scott Thomas, winner) - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language FilmGolden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language FilmThe Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film is one of the awards presented at the Golden Globes, an American film awards ceremony.Until 1986, it was known as the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Film, meaning that any non-American film could be honoured...
(nominee) - Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (Scott Thomas, nominee)
- London Film Critics' Circle Award for Best British Actress of the Year (Scott Thomas, winner)
- Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (Scott Thomas, nominee)
Home media
The film was released on DVD in France on September 24, 2008, in the UK on February 9, 2009, and in Canada on February 10. Sony issued it on DVD in anamorphic widescreenAnamorphic widescreen
Anamorphic widescreen, when applied to DVD manufacture, is a video process that horizontally squeezes a widescreen image so that it can be stored in a standard 4:3 aspect ratio DVD image frame. Compatible playback equipment can then re-expand the horizontal dimension to show the original widescreen...
format in the US on March 3. It has an audio track in French with English subtitles and an English audio track with Kristin Scott Thomas dubbing her own dialogue. Bonus features include deleted scenes with optional commentary by Philippe Claudel.
See also
- Juliet of the SpiritsJuliet of the SpiritsJuliet of the Spirits is a 1965 Italian film directed by Federico Fellini that uses "caricatural types and dream situations to represent a psychic landscape"...
— Juliette is compared to the Fellini film (as Juliette des esprits)