I've Loved You So Long (2008)

The greatest movie ever made..!

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

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.

This is one of the most powerful movies I have seen in a while. I was hugely impressed by the acting of Kristin Scott-Thomas, as a woman who returns to society after 15 years in prison. Her sister opens up to her after years of separation and gives her a chance to recover her lost dignity. The interaction between the sisters is well portrayed. It is honest and loving but difficult. The sister's husband is less forgiving but Scott-Thomas does not allow them to see for themselves the tragic story she has experienced. The interaction with her sister's family is joyful, particularly as she teaches her nieces to read and play music. Even the moments she spends with her brother-in-law's ailing father are tender and beautiful. Eventually the movie reaches a point where the full story cannot be concealed any longer. The outcome is one we can hardly anticipate until we begin to see clues that the sister pursues relentlessly. The movie gives us the story of a woman who has lost her self-esteem but gradually regains it as she works through the quagmire after years of isolation. The sister and her spouse, a comfortable couple who are flawed but trying to do their best for their family, are a tremendous help to her and she eventually becomes a trusted member of the family. She becomes part of the family's social life and is able to build personal relationships of her own, which have consequences that are both rewarding and heart-breaking. All these blend together to tell a compelling story that is honest and fulfilling. The entire cast is excellent. It is an interesting context and the plot keeps our attention to the dramatic finale.

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!

The goodthe central tale of two sisters learning to be together again after being so long apart is gripping. nicely paced, for a story that relies on character development not action it never once gets boring. That's partly down to the acting, which is immaculate from all, but more importantly down to a script that explores in detail the process of rehabilitating oneself into society. It helps that there are a number of strong subplots with numerous interesting secondary characters. This kept the story moving along at a nice pace. genuine tension in the possible outcome. All the time you're rooting for the central character and her family to find some happiness after all this trauma. The film keeps you guessing till the end. The badthe premise for the death of the child (which is revealed at the end)and the reason why the rest of the family is excluded from this reveal until now is weak. I personally think the script writers could have been bolder in making the "murder" less forgivable. As it was I was left thinking "was that it? Surely she could have told them that 15 years ago and saved everyone a lot of grief". Overall.Weak premise not withstanding, this is a bold movie that is a must for those who love carefully crafted character stories.