The tragedy of a woman’s wasted life first drives Philippe Claudel’s debut I’ve Loved You So Long. But once the tale expands, and Claudel has the option to turn against estranged sister Juliette (Kristen Scott Thomas), he takes the high road and doesn’t. To reveal specifics would harm the experience, which depends upon viewers coping with information. But Juliette is reunited with her sister Lea (Elsa Zylberstein) for the first time in 15 years. Their effort to pretend everything’s fine between them is echoed in the self-imposed wall Juliette’s placed between herself and the world at large. It’s a standout performance from Scott Thomas, capturing Juliette’s intellectually imposed exile. Claudel avoids the mark of shallow movies, and shallow people, by refusing to view anyone as less than human. It’s unfortunate how a revelation at the end softens the impact. Until that point, I’ve Loved You So Long is well-observed and knowingly tough.
This article appears in Mar 5-11, 2009.