Love Trumps Pain

A troubled-looking woman sits in an airport lounge. The sky is gray and the surroundings are nondescript. Another woman arrives to pick her up and take her away. Their meeting has a darkness clinging to it but there is a connection there between them and, despite their distance and awkwardness, it is easy to see that they share real feelings of closeness, even if they are buried deep beneath the surface.

The lady waiting at the airport is Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas). The other is her sister, Léa (Elsa Zylberstein). They have been separated for many years. Why that is is the story and mystery of "I've Loved You So Long".

Léa drives Juliette back to her home, where her husband, Luc (Serge Hazanavicius), two children and her husband's father all live with her. It is a lovely home and it is clearly filled with love. The marriage is a happy one. The children are sweet. Luc is an average guy, doing his part to keep things running smoothly. Grandpa has been rendered speechless by a stroke. He reads and smiles and plays with his grandchildren. Juliette, in contrast, is intensely private and quiet, cold, dark, moody and on edge. We know that she is harboring something awful that has eaten away her insides and shows no signs of letting up.

Gradually, first-time director Philippe Claudel reveals the secret in bits and pieces. Near the end, the entire history is brought to light and while we already know that Juliette is tortured, a final layer explains the total tale. While I found the final part of the secret to be a tad unbelievable, I can't deny the power of "I've Loved You So Long", especially the performance of Kristin Scott Thomas. She conveys more in a glance than most actors can in an entire film. It would not be surprising to see her name among the nominees, come Oscars time. "I've Loved You So Long" is a small story, played with great restraint and it works.