I've Loved You So Long

2008
7.6| 1h55m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 19 March 2008 Released
Producted By: UGC
Country: Germany
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Info

A woman struggles to interact with her family and find her place in society after spending fifteen years in prison.

Genre

Drama

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I've Loved You So Long (2008) is now streaming with subscription on Prime Video

Director

Philippe Claudel

Production Companies

UGC

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I've Loved You So Long Audience Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.
Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.
Mr Andserson I can not say enough good things about this movie, had me forget completely there was subtitles. Never been so moved by a movie, it just get to you in a good way as the movie slowly progresses. It is about compassion, forgiveness of yourself and about getting over insurmountable problems in life.The brilliant Kristin Scott Thomas does the best part I have ever seen her in, so introvert yet you sense her feelings all the way, surely a big mistake her performance wasn't rewarded with an Oscar. Also credits to the other actors especially Elsa Zylberstein does a great job as her younger sister.
SrMachito This film is well done in certain respects I suppose, and I did just manage to avoid turning it off before the end, however for the more discerning film fan, it is pretty obvious and superficial. What really grates is how smug the middle class comes across. Also, the whole concept of not all prisoners being inherently evil is somewhat ridiculous when the only prisoner we encounter is middle class and SPOILER ALERT eventually revealed to have committed her crime out of love. This lady is not inherently evil because she is not like other criminals, which implies other criminals are in fact evil or at least not worthy of compassion and humanity.And of course the idea that she would commit her crime for such a reason but not tell anyone is completely absurd and blatantly a plot device. As is the way the truth is discovered.French films of the past used to humanise the underclass. This one dehumanises them.
Syl Kristin Scott-Thomas OBE is a British born and raised actress who is also fluent in French and lives in France with her family does an amazing performance as a paroled criminal. She plays Juliette with an understatement. She doesn't ham it up or overdue it. Her performance is subtle yet mesmerizing to the viewer here. She comes across as a native French speaker without a hint of English. In this film, Juliette is reunited with her estranged sister, a college professor in Nancy, France. Her sister lives with her husband, Luc, his father, and two adopted Vietnamese daughters. When Juliette starts her life in Nancy, she doesn't talk about the crime, an unspeakable act. There are reasons and motives to justify her actions which are explained in the conclusion which wasn't unpredictable. Juliette has been estranged from her mother and family for fifteen years. Many of her sisters' friends were unaware of her existence. The sisters with Elsa Zylberstein look, act and feel like sisters to the audience. It's a heartbreaking film overall.
rooprect Any Led Zeppelin fans out there? Either way, I wanted to start by drawing attention to the confusing translation of this film's title into English. The French phrase "Il y a longtemps que..." is better translated as "It's been a long time since..." It implies a sense of nostalgia and possible regret or loss. So instead of being called "I've Loved You So Long", it should've probably been "It's Been a Long Time Since I Loved You". Even that translation is imperfect, so you may just have to listen to the Zeppelin song to get what I mean.Why is this important? Because the entire film is done with a haunting sense of nostalgia, regret & melancholy as the proper title should imply. But also, as the title should imply, it's not necessarily depressing or final. I thought the film pulls it off brilliantly. The subject is very dark & gloomy, yet the film doesn't descend to being dark & gloomy itself. Instead, like a good murder mystery, it allows us to peel away at the dark truth while not getting dragged down ourselves. This is done by keeping us out of the main character's troubled past until the very end. As a result, we don't form prejudices that would taint our objectivity.And that's what this film is about: society's prejudices. Not in a overt way, but with subtlety the way director Clint Eastwood likes to do ("The Unforgiven", "Gran Turino", "Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil"). Films like this challenge us to see 'villains' in a different light, and they expose society's folly in labeling them thus.In this film, Kristin Scott Thomas plays a woman who, for cloaked reasons, is discarded by society. Her unwillingness to explain herself only deepens the disconnect. The motives for her bizarre behaviour remain a mystery until the end, forcing our imagination to remain on high alert throughout the entire film. Without any car chases, gunfire or monsters, this film still manages to create a great atmosphere of suspense & anticipation. In that regard it's similar to "Five Minutes of Heaven" (2009), "Leaving Las Vegas" (1995) or the obscure Japanese flick "Shiki-jitsu" (2000), all excellent films that derive their suspense from slowly peeling away the psychology of a troubled character.Kristin's performance is simply amazing. It would be easy for an actor to play the role as a victim, a depressed person feeling sorry for herself, but no. Kristin plays it with an air of strength and quiet, desperate dignity. And in the end we realize that's exactly how it should be. Don't miss the chance to see this great film!