I’ve Loved You So Long

I remember first hearing about this movie by its original french title Il y a Longtemps Que Je T’aime. Ever since then I’ve wanted to see it, but it sort of fell off my radar. I stumbled upon the title again while browsing for movies that I’ve missed, and seized the opportunity to finally watch it. I’m glad I did.

I’ll warn you up front; Those of you out there who fall asleep watching drama flicks, this isn’t for you. I’m not that kind of person. In fact, I was dead tired as I lied down in bed to watch this on my laptop and it kept me up all the way through.

The plot is simple. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Juliette Fontaine who has spent the last 15 years in prison. When she gets out she is confronted with the unexpected goodness of her younger sister Léa who makes Juliette a part of her family, even after Juliette was cut off completely from her family after she went away. During the course of the movie she very slowly and carefully opens up to reveal the true back-story of the crime that she once committed.

We see Juliette struggle to adapt to life on the other side of the prison walls, and very painfully reconnecting with her sister after being almost completely isolated from the outside world for almost two decades. Even though the movie is slow, I found it to be very rewarding and genuine. I usually don’t mind a slow pace in films like this anyway.

I have absolutely no trouble recommending this to anyone who enjoys the kind of movie that takes you on an emotional journey. Instead of making impact through eye candy or action it relies on the viewer to relate to what is going on. It plays a lot like Doubt, Broken Flowers and Boy A, to name a few of my other favorite movies that are similar in style and pace.

It’s beautifully shot, the acting is fantastic, and it left me in tears. It made its mark and it’s not easily forgotten; Two signs of great cinema.

Have you seen this movie? I’d love to hear what you thought about it.