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 14 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 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.

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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:

$64,731, 26 October 2008, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,167,876, 19 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 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

Juliette Fontaine: The worst prison is the death of one's child. You never get out of it.

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Connections

Featured in The Orange British Academy Film Awards (2009)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

French movie-making at its best

This is one of those films that, the less you know about it in advance, the more you are likely to appreciate it - which makes reviewing it a little problematic. All you really need to know is that it's French and excellent. But you might like to know that it's a wonderful vehicle for Kristin Scott Thomas, the British actress married to a Frenchman, who plays Juliette, an Anglo-French woman with some dark and painful secrets which only slowly unfold as the narrative takes its traumatic course. The movie opens and closes with close-ups of her haunted face and, in between, she is rarely off the screen in a marvellously nuanced performance, well supported by Elsa Zylberstein who plays her younger sister Léa. Written and directed by Philippe Claudel, this is French movie-making at its best.