"Phillipe Claudel's literary character portrait premiered at the Berlinale in 2008 and tells the story of middle-aged woman Juliette who tries find her place in society and reestablish contact with her family after having spent fifteen years in prison. Juliette arrives in Lorraine, France where she is reunited with her sister that's now married and has two daughters. Lèa invites her to live with her family on temporary basis even though her husband feels uneasy by her sisters sudden arrival.

French writer Phillipe Claudel's concise psychological drama about a woman's mysterious past and challenging present time, is a audacious debut feature that caught my eye from it's first scene and triggered my interest further as the story enfolded. First time director Claudel takes his time when he tells his story, constantly follows the main character and reveals nothing until he finds it necessary. "I've loved you so long" is a character study of substance and a distinct female portrait that debates topics such as trust, family relations, interpersonal relations, forgiveness, longing, loneliness, and sorrow in a clear and insightful way. The editing that occurs sporadic between the long takes creates rhythm and the instrumental theme optimizes the films essential mood.

The photography is a versatile variation of Kristen Scott Thomas portraits and with his rock steady filming Phillipe Claudel reveals the wide range of expressions in Kristen Scott Thomas face. In the role as the impenetrable Juliette, Scott Thomas delivers one of 2009s most memorable performances. The almost incomprehensible way she controls and balances the characters emotional complexity, creates a level of intensity that no technical effects could have replaced and that becomes crucial to the films progression. In the key scenes of the film Sott Thomas acts with Elsa Zylberstein, known from Maurice Pialat's "Van Gogh" (1991), that gives a fine performance. The dialog is sharp and the realism and subtlety in this universal independent film is notable."

"I’ve Loved You So Long is a slow-paced drama about a woman who is trying to get her life straightened out. This film has a lot of emotion involved and at times some scenes contain nothing but silence. The characters involved in this film have their struggles and their secrets, and the film explores all of these things.

The story is about a woman named Juliette who has served 15 years in prison and is getting out and living with her sister who she barely knows. The story is about their relationship and Juliette’s sister helping her and never giving up on her. Kristin Scott Thomas, who is a great actress with a lot of range, plays Juliette. She has been in The Horse Whisperer, Gosford Park, The English Patient, and a great french film called Tell No One that came out last year. Thomas holds a lot of her feelings inside, but you can see it in her face. It is not until the final scenes you see her let them pour out of her.

She did a great job playing a woman who is trying to discover life again. She has been in prison for a long time and she must reconnect with the only family she has left. It is a tough role to seem so distant, but to be able to overcome her problems and Thomas does it. Pretty well I must say. The reason she went to prison is the main struggle in this whole film. It involves murder, but it is who she murdered and why that is so tough on the whole family. Only Juliette knows exactly what happened, and her sister wants to find out the truth. By the end, we get the whole picture and realize the trauma and guilt Juliette has put herself through, and if she’ll finally let it go.

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