I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

I can not say enough good things about this movie, had me forget completely there was subtitles. Never been so moved by a movie, it just get to you in a good way as the movie slowly progresses. It is about compassion, forgiveness of yourself and about getting over insurmountable problems in life.The brilliant Kristin Scott Thomas does the best part I have ever seen her in, so introvert yet you sense her feelings all the way, surely a big mistake her performance wasn't rewarded with an Oscar. Also credits to the other actors especially Elsa Zylberstein does a great job as her younger sister.

I've seen so many French films in the last 15 years in which the female protagonist is as hard as nails, rebellious but impenetrable, scornful of intimate society or society at large - and we're meant to like her. I feared the same from the simple description I had of this film. (And after all, Scott-Thomas does not, after all, seem to seek out cuddly characters).But her character is played perfectly - and that woman is one you come to quite like - sympathetic and understandable and human. (The actress playing her sister is also perfectly chosen- as sweet and winning as you could possibly find).For all the darkness off-screen before the film begins, this is really a happy and heart-warming film - stay with it, it gets better and better. I particularly love the happiness the director makes us feel in social groupings - the celebration of someone's birthday, friends just dropping in, a dinner party.**** SPOILERS### My one misgving with the film is that I do NOT share the director's apparent sympathy with euthanasia - no illness ever justifies taking another's life. Were I the judge sentencing her, and knowing all the facts, I'd have sentenced her to at least 15 years, and thought myself being very just. So her failure to defend herself in prison does not seem to me to have influenced her just sentence - though is strongly sense the movie means one to think otherwise - to feel that slaying a terribly ill child is somehow OK.*** SPOILERS END **** I'd strongly recommend the film.

Philippe Claudel's literary character portrait premiered at the Berlinale in 2008 and tells the story of Juliette, a middle-aged woman who tries to 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 who is now married and has two daughters. Léa invites her to live with her family on temporary basis even though her husband feels uneasy by her sister's sudden arrival.French writer and director Philippe Claudel's concise psychological drama about a woman's mysterious past and challenging present, is an audacious and instantly engaging directorial debut, a substantial study of character and a distinct female portrait which examines themes such as trust, family relations, interpersonal relations, forgiveness, longing, loneliness, and grief in a clear and insightful way. The editing that occurs sporadic between the long takes creates rhythm and the instrumental theme song emphasizes the films essential atmosphere.The cinematography is a versatile variation of Kristin Scott Thomas portraits and with his acute filming, Philippe Claudel reveals the wide range of expressions in her face. In the role as the impenetrable Juliette, Kristin Scott Thomas delivers one of 2009s most memorable acting performances. The almost incomprehensible way she controls and balances the protagonist's emotional complexity, creates a level of intensity that no technical effects could have replaced and that becomes crucial to the films continuity. The dialog is sharp, French actress Elsa Zylberstein's supporting acting performance and the subtle realism in this universal independent film is notable.

I find it impossible to comment on this film without addressing the premise which underlies the entire story. Before I get to that, let me say that Kristin Scott Thomas and Elsa Zylberstein, the two principals, are excellent, and Phillippe Claudel's direction is superb. Kristin Scott Thomas for the first time in her long career (to my knowledge) is made to look very plain. If she is wearing any makeup at all, it is intended to downplay, rather than enhance, her considerable beauty. Zylberstein, whom I've never seen before, plays the much younger sister of Ms. Thomas's character, and she is lovely and lively in contrast to the general drabness and troubled countenance of her elder sister.Juliette Fontaine (Ms. Thomas) has just been released from 15 years in prison for the murder of her son and is taken into the household of her sister Lea (Ms. Zylberstein). It's relatively easy to guess the premise long before it is revealed: Juliette was a doctor who gave her young son a deadly injection to relieve his suffering from a painful and certain death. The part that's difficult -- I would say impossible -- to believe is that Juliette never spoke up during her trial to explain that it was a mercy killing and never told any member of her family or any friend why she killed her own child.The story only comes out because Lea accidentally discovers a picture of the child with a loving poem to his mother and a lab report which enables Lea, with the help of a doctor friend, to understand that the child was on the verge of death and in terrible pain. As I've said, I it strains credulity to imagine that Juliette would conceal the secret in court. But it defies belief that she would not tell her sister, who loves her, or her brother-in-law, who is decidedly nervous about having her in their house with their two adopted children. Despite this central flaw, "I've Loved You So Long," is well worth seeing. The cast is strong from top to bottom, and this is among Kristin Scott Thomas's most outstanding performances. The film is in French with English subtitles. For those who may not know it, Ms. Thomas, although English, has lived in France for many years. Still, early in the film, Lea apologizes for Juliette's "accent," explaining that she lived in England for a long time before the family returned to France.