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Death makes no excuses. It arrives, steals what it
wants and moves on without regret escaping punishment. We
that are left behind are punished. “I Have Loved You So
Long” is a quiet, dramatic mystery with a tragic death at
its core. It’s the story of two sisters separated for 15
years before Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) was put in
prison for murder. These two sisters (the younger sister
is played by Elsa Zylberstein)once very close have become
strangers with the passage of time and because of one act
committed by Juliette which no one in her family ever understands.
Gradually, we find out why she was in prison, the impact
it had her and how it took away her desire to live. Juliette
remains behind as a walking ghost among the living. Death
took her at the same time as it stole the person she was
accused of murdering. A moving, rich story of a family surviving
the aftermath of a devastating event and how that event
changes everything from the little moments to the bigger
ones making both meaningless I’m at a loss as to how “I
Have Loved You So Long” could have been overlooked as both
Best Foreign Film at the Academy Awards and how Kristin
Scott Thomas lost for an incredible performance. What makes
that even more incredible is that Scott Thomas is British
and plays a role in a foreign language (French)pulling off
the transformation completely and credibly. ***
The film isn’t flawless as writer/director Philippe
Claudel makes a couple of minor first time director’s mistakes
(sometimes it’s the framing of a sequence, others it’s not
mining a moment for maximum impact or creating a tense scene
that doesn’t lead anywhere) but on the whole he’s done a
marvelous job keeping the central mystery intact as long
as possible and leaving clues as to what really happened
so that the viewer can figure it out even before the rest
of the characters. Most notable and astonishing are the
rich characters he creates—they are REAL and inhabit the
film as if they live in the world he has created. So often
Hollywood films creates fictional worlds and characters
that don’t mesh or where the characters seem to move through
the “world” without inhabiting it. That’s not the case here.
I should warn those reading this review that the film is
in French with English subtitles AND has an English dubbed
track as well. While Kristin Scott Thomas does a fine job
playing her role in English the other actors deliver their
lines with the stilted delivery so common with dubbed tracks.
I’d recommend watching it in French with the English subtitles
as the emotional power in the delivery of the dialog even
if you don’t understand French is subtle, devastating and
brilliant while the English dubbed track lacks the resonance
of the French. ---
Image & Sound:
“I’ve Loved You So Long” looks exceptional with natural
skin tones, solid black levels and incredible detail. You’ll
notice the detail particularly during close ups of the actors.
That isn’t to say the presentation is perfect as there are
a couple of scenes that are a bit soft but overall it’s
a strong presentation. ***
Don’t expect a lot a dramatic use of the 5.1 mix. The
director uses it subtly for effect throughout the film.
The dialog is crisp and clear. ---
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