I've Loved You So Long

Theatrical Release Date: 2008 10 24 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 043396301658

Studio: Sony Pictures

MPAA Rating: PG13   Contains:null

Summary: Their relationship fractured when older sister Juliette is sentenced to 15 years in prison, two siblings wage an emotional battle to rebuild their relationship, overcome the secrets that keep them apart, and finally express the thoughts that have lain dormant for well over a decade. The moment Juliette was convicted, her parents declared that they wanted nothing to do with her. Now, after 15 years behind bars, Juliette is a free woman and in desperate need of a human connection. When Juliette's younger sister, L?a, is approached by a prison social worker and asked if she would be willing to provide her recently paroled sibling with a place to live, she doesn't hesitate to open her doors and share her home. But L?a is happily married with two adopted daughters, and her husband, Luc, is uneasy with the arrangement. Still, the house is large, the couple is used to having company, and the two young girls are thrilled to have a new aunt. As Juliette gets settled, L?a does her best to make her feel welcome. Likewise, L?a's colleague Michel and emigrant couple Samir and Ka?sha also offer to help Juliette readjust to life on the outside. Along the way, Juliette slowly begins to emerge from her shell and L?a realizes just how much she missed her sister. Perhaps if she can put aside her feelings of guilt long enough to truly understand her sister's plight, these two strangers can finally remember what it means to be family. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Film Presented – Berlin International Film Festival Film Presented – Toronto International Film Festival Best Foreign Language Film – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Foreign Language Film – Southeastern Film Critics Association Best Foreign Film – Women Film Critics Circle Best Foreign Language Film – Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film – London Film Critics Association Best Foreign Language Film – Chicago Film Critics Association Best Actress – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Foreign Language Film – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best Original Screenplay – British Academy of Film and Television Arts Best British Actress – London Film Critics Association

Features: Deleted scenes with optional commentary by director Philippe Claudel

I've Loved You So Long

Format: Blu-ray

Release Date: 03/03/2009

Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DTHD null, DD2 Dolby Digital Stereo

Runtime: 117 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French

Subtitles: English

Region: Blu-ray region A (North America, Central America, South America, Japan, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Southeast Asia)

Derek Armstrong

What probably surprised viewers about I've Loved You So Long was that it featured British actress Kristin Scott Thomas in a French-speaking role -- giving an award-worthy performance, at that. But French doesn't happen to be a particular hardship for the actress, a resident of France since her early twenties. More impressive is what she does with the role of a woman just finishing 15 years in prison for committing murder, whose victim should preclude her from any normal notion of audience sympathy. Granted, Juliette Fontaine has a more complicated story than the shocking black-and-white charges against her would suggest. But what's smart about Scott Thomas' performance is that she doesn't make a conscious play for the sympathy she'd be shown if the viewer knew the totality of her circumstances. She conveys oceans of ennui in a distracted glance, a terse/awkward verbal exchange, or a longing stare straight through the people around her, all without ever resorting to self-pity. Shrewdly, the script by director Philippe Claudel keeps the viewer in the dark about exactly what Juliette did, thereby rendering her crime morally irrelevant. The viewer has no choice but to meet her on the terms of her current existence, regardless of what she did in the past. In fact, it's to the film's slight detriment when all is revealed near the end, and her actions make more conventional sense. Scott Thomas' performance is buttressed by those of the actors around her, who grapple in different ways with their own compromises and losses, bringing marvelous complexity to their attitudes toward this problematic woman. The possibility of forgiveness is questioned throughout, and eventually, so is the need for it in the first place. If morality is all shades of gray in I've Loved You So Long, the film's quality is crystal clear. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Yves Marmion  Producer 
Jean Louis Aubert  Composer (Music Score) 
Philippe Claudel  Director 
Philippe Claudel  Screenwriter 
Sylvestre Guarino  Executive Producer 
Kristin Scott Thomas  Actor 
Elsa Zylberstein  Actor 
Serge Hazanavicius  Actor 
Laurent Grévill  Actor 
Frédéric Pierrot  Actor 
Lise Segur  Actor 
Jean-Claude Arnaud  Actor 
Mouss Zouheyri  Actor 
Souad Mouchrik  Actor 
Catherine Hosmalin  Actor 
Claire Johnston  Actor 
Olivier Cruveiller  Actor 
Nicole Dubois  Actor 
Patrick Bordes  Actor 
Alain Buron  Actor 

Country: France,Germany,USA