I’ve Loved You So Long MPAA Rating: PG-13 Entertainment: +2 Content: +2

Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein. Psychological Drama.Written and directed by Philippe Claudel. (Foreign, with subtitles).

FILM SYNOPSIS: Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas), was 15 years in prison for murder. We eventually discover that it is her own child she has killed, though it is not until the final act do that we learn why. The unexpected goodness of her younger sister Léa (Elsa Zylberstein), who makes Juliette a part of her family, slowly causes Juliette to open up and once again face life.

PREVIEW REVIEW: A great character study, sadly I’ve Loved You So Long disappoints with an unsatisfying ending. What’s more, Ms. Scott Thomas is an acquired taste. And if you haven’t acquired it yet, you’re not alone. Perhaps the problem is that she does self-possessed a little too well (The English Patient, The Horse Whisperer). Here she creeps me out with her sullenness, her bursts of anger and her self-absorption. It’s a long movie and we endure these character foibles throughout the film. Only minutes before the ending does her attitude begin to lighten up. And this happens just before the big final cry where we discover her reason for killing the child.

Spoiler alert: You may deduce the reason for the murder should you read the following paragraph.

This being a movie and not the nightly news, we should know there’s a plausible reason. Trouble is, when we discover the reason, it only raises other questions, none of which are answered by the script or Ms. Scott Thomas’ portrayal.

Performances all around are sound and savory, but I found the lead unlikable. True, we’re supposed to have compassion for this troubled soul, but when we realize that even though she has justified the killing, in all those years, she has never explained the truth, leaving those around her in the dark. Why? Who knows?

Preview Reviewer: Phil Boatwright
Distributor: Sony Classics Pictures