I’ve Loved You For So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t’aime) is a simply done yet lovely French movie.
It’s written and directed by Philippe Claudel who is also a French Professor (of Literature).
I absolutely adored this movie; it’s one of the best movies I’ve watched this year.

It’s a moving story about two sisters who reunite after fifteen years apart and try to forge a relationship under charged circumstances.

Kristin Scott Thomas is amazing in this movie; her performance is raw, subtle and authentic as the older sister Juliette who comes to live with her sister after spending fifteen years in prison for killing her young son.

Elsa Zylberstein plays the unwaveringly loyal younger sister Lea, her unquestioning and unconditional devotion to her sister is quite touching.

Their scenes together are captivating.

The rest of the great cast are Lea’s untrusting husband, her two daughters; the grandfather who doesn’t speak, Juliette’s parole officer and Marcel, Lea’s colleague and friend who takes a liking to Juliette.

There’s a mysterious element to the movie that adds to its brilliance. I’m not sure it if was deliberate, but there’s an underlying suspense in every scene – you never know what to expect.

I liked that the movie wasn’t over the top, it’s emotional but it’s not a tearjerker. It’s subtle and affecting, it’s one of those movies you still think about days after you’ve watched it.

It was touching to watch Juliette evolve from a silent woman devoid of emotions, and even mean sometimes to become a woman who slowly allows herself out of her own prison to live again.

The movie has so many layers, and it all fuses together for a solid end.

My only disappointment with the movie is when we finally find out in the end why Juliette killed her son.

While the reason renders us sympathetic to her, it still doesn’t make a lot of sense, maybe it’s because I don’t have kids.

I still don’t understand why she wouldn’t seek help elsewhere or talk to someone.

I loved Juliette’s gradual bond with her young niece, one of my favourite scenes in the movie is when they’re together playing À la Claire Fontaine on the piano – which is also where the movie gets it’s title from.