2008, France/Germany
Drama, Mystery
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Extended version:
Some mysteries unfold so gently until we ultimately wonder why the conclusion was ever any of our business to pursue. Such an intimate tale is delivered in I've Loved You So Long, writer Philippe Claudel's careful directorial debut.
It is no wonder that a writer helmed this film, as it is steeped in an appreciation for the written word and carefully chosen phrases and discussion. Books surround the characters literally and figuratively, as they provide a backbone to those who teach literature and a comfort to those who find solace in reading other people's words rather than having to justify their own.
Kristin Scott Thomas (whose accent in this French film is explained by her character spending more time in England) portrays Juliette Fontaine, a woman long separated from her younger sister, Léa (Elsa Zylberstein). It is revealed that prison walls kept them physically apart, but it was their parents who chose to excise Juliette from the family completely. Excited to reunite with Juliette and provide a halfway house amongst her own family, Léa is desperate to make a connection and discover the answers that no one has uttered.
Though the film is teased along through this mystery of slowly spilling clues, it is the new life, not the past of Juliette that builds the story. Her last name is used as a metaphor for still waters that run deep, as she feels no need to unburden her soul though her troubles have worn deeply into her presence. A solitary figure judged for not explaining herself to strangers, her chosen silence is taken as an admission of guilt rather than a decision to carry the weight of her problems on her own capable shoulders.
Léa and her fellow literary scholars passionately discuss paintings and literature, but it is a rare few who realize the impact of personal experience upon their interpretations of art. Juliette finds her first initial confidant in her sister's father-in-law who cannot talk back due to a stroke and is able to discuss the former life of her childhood only to her sister's young daughter who makes no attempts to be coy like adults. It becomes apparent that Juliette is not as cold as first judged, but rather it is the judging that makes her distant.
I've Loved You So Long is a beautiful contemplation on the private stories which surround us and mold us and yet which are often selfishly pulled to the surface by those led by the fear of their own ignorance. The importance of connections and openness is juxtaposed against a respect for quiet memories which wish to remain buried. Each person Juliette meets has his own story, whispered by coworkers and used to define them. As they obliviously use their own experiences to draw out her mysterious past, she listens quietly, allowing a fellow being the chance to breathe without being stifled -- a chance she was never granted.