I've Loved You So Long (2008)

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 15 wins & 29 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Juliette
Elsa Zylberstein	...	Léa
Serge Hazanavicius	...	Luc
Laurent Grévill	...	Michel
Frédéric Pierrot	...	Capitaine Fauré
Lise Ségur	...	P'tit Lys
Jean-Claude Arnaud	...	Papy Paul
Mouss Zouheyri	...	Samir
Souad Mouchrik	...	Kaisha
Nicole Dubois	...	DRH hôpital
Catherine Hosmalin	...	Conseillère d'insertion
Laurent Claret	...	Directeur hôpital
Marcel Ouendeno	...	Bamakalé
Gérard Barbonnet	...	Monsieur Lucien
Jérémie Covillault	...	Jeune inspecteur

Storyline

Juliette Fontaine (Dame Kristin Scott Thomas) was in prison for fifteen years. Confronted with the unexpected goodness of her younger sister Léa (Elsa Zylberstein), who makes Juliette a part of her family, very slowly breaks up Juliette's ice and bitterness and she carefully opens up.

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a child | child | death of a child | reading a newspaper | tossing a pillow | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic material and smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [UK]

Country:

France Germany

Language:

French English

Release Date:

20 February 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hace mucho que te quiero

Filming Locations:

Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$72,205, 26 October 2008

Gross USA:

$3,169,305

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$22,274,095

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 Léa finds by accident, reads: "Un jardin sous la plui c'est doux triste come moi sans toi. Maman je veux pas que tu meure jamais. On sera ensemble toujours. Tu es 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.)

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Quotes

Léa: We were there! Didn't we matter?
Juliette Fontaine: Do you think others matter then - that one cares what they think or do? You were all well and alive! You belonged to the kind one comes to hate for the mere fact that they are there.

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Connections

Referenced in Micmacs (2009)

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Soundtracks

À la Claire Fontaine
Traditional French
Performed by Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein and Lise Ségur

User Reviews

Is this Scott Thomas's greatest role?

This may be the film that makes Kristin Scott Thomas's reputation as not a good actress but a great one. It is a French film, and one has to accept the parameters of French 'intimisme'; as such it is wonderful. It is not a question of being a parent or not: it's a question of being ready or not to be swept out of one's daily self by great acting. Elsa Zylberstein is a fine actress (I remember her with affection in 'Farinelli'), but Scott Thomas here surpasses anything she has done before. She is capable, we knew, of making herself nearly ugly ('Angels and Insects'); she can do understated sensitivity ('Four Weddings and a Funeral'); here she gets a part of the emotional power of a Medea or a Phaedra and plays it with the let-it-rip force of a great tragédienne. The film is a vehicle for an actress, and none the worse for that. It is not unworthy of her, and that may be the best one can say of Claudel's work; but that may just be enough. There was a curiously fugitive quality to KST's interviews about this film: one got the impression she didn't really want to talk about it in more than mundane depth. One can see why. It all goes very near the bone. She may want to do a sheer glorious comedy next, just to remind us all of the blithe side of her nature. Long may she live, and work.