I've Loved You So Long (2008)
"Il y a longtemps que je t'aime" (original title)

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

Director:

Philippe Claudel

Writer:

Philippe Claudel

Stars:

Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 14 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Juliette Fontaine
Elsa Zylberstein	...	Léa
Serge Hazanavicius	...	Luc
Laurent Grévill	...	Michel (as Lauren Grevill)
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Capitaine Fauré
Claire Johnston	...	La mère de Juliette et Léa
Catherine Hosmalin	...	La conseillère d'insertion
Jean-Claude Arnaud	...	Papy Paul
Olivier Cruveiller	...	Gérard
Lise Ségur	...	P'tit Lys (as Lise Segur)
Mouss	...	Samir (as Mouss Zouheyri)
Souad Mouchrik	...	Kaisha
Nicole Dubois	...	La DRH hôpital
Laurent Claret	...	Directeur hôpital
Marcel Ouendeno	...	Bamakalé

Storyline

Juliette was 15 years in prison. Confronted with the unexpected goodness of her younger sister Léa, who makes Juliette a part of her family, very slowly breaks up Juliette's ice and bitterness and she carefully opens up.

---

Plot Keywords:

prison | doctor | visit | death | colleague | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [United Kingdom]

Country:

France Germany

Language:

French English

Release Date:

19 March 2008 (France)

Also Known As:

Hace mucho que te quiero

Filming Locations:

Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$64,731 (USA) (24 October 2008)

Gross:

$3,167,876 (USA) (17 April 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

UGC YM, Integral Film, France 3 Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

117 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The note written by Juliette's dead son, which Lea finds by accident, reads: "un jardin sous la plui sé doux triste come moi san toit maman je veus pas que tu meure jamai on sera ensemble toujour tu ai mon amour ton petit Pierre" (A garden under the rain is sweet sad like me without you Mama I don't want you to die ever. We'll be together always. You are my love. Your little Pierre.)

---

Quotes

Léa: The novel's narration is impersonal and incomplete, as he refused to give one world view. He knows it's multiple, that intentions are multiple as are truths.

---

Connections

References To Be or Not to Be (1942)

User Reviews

This movie hits the emotional spot with great precision.

This movie succeeds in presenting believable characters through life-like dialogs and superior acting. Despite its heavy emotional load, it never degrades into a tear-jerker. Perhaps it makes a difference whether you are a parent yourself as a viewer, I could not tell, but after returning home, I did feel like giving the kids a loving cuddle. This movie will linger for a while in my mind. It seems to me that Philippe Claudel is not just a very observing novelist, but also a good director, capable of a lot of empathy with the human condition. Anyone looking for light entertainment should stay out of the movie theater where this movie is playing, but if you are interested in a subtle emphatic presentation of characters, you should not miss this.