'I've Loved You So Long'

Rating:

BY RAFER GUZMÁN | rafer.guzman@newsday.com

November 28, 2008

The face of Kristin Scott Thomas provides the opening image of Philippe Claudel's "I've Loved You So Long," and it's a striking portrait. Ash-gray, lips curled, dark blue satchels beneath her vacant eyes, Scott Thomas sits in an airport, looking like someone whose journey has come to an end. In a few moments the British actress, playing a haunted woman named Juliette, will begin speaking French, but in these moments her face reveals more than any dialogue.

Juliette has just been released from prison. Her younger, still-adoring sister, Léa (Elsa Zylberstein), meets her with a hug and a warm greeting, neither of which is fully returned; Juliette seems more comfortable with the frosty reception from Léa's husband, Luc (Serge Hazanavicius). It's the first inkling that the expression on Juliette's face is not just bitterness but guilt.

For much of the film, Juliette's crime remains a mystery. Léa treads lightly around the subject; she's more eager to prove that she never forgot about her sister or - unlike their parents - disowned her. When Juliette finally reveals her secret, it's to a potential employer who promptly orders her out of his office. The only scene more agonizing is one in which Juliette reluctantly visits her now-senile mother, who experiences a brief and horrifying flash of recognition.

Near the film's end, Juliette's awful act is explained away somewhat predictably - a scratch on a near-perfect film. Claudel, a novelist by trade, makes an impressive directorial debut here (he also wrote the script), choosing his moments and details with great care. He's also lucky to have Scott Thomas, who keeps the half-dead Juliette from becoming tiresome. In nearly every scene she creates suspense by teetering between ruination and hope.

PG-13

PLOT A woman with a dark past re- enters her sister’s life. (French, with English subtitles)

CAST Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius

LENGTH 1:57

PLAYING AT Malverne Cinema, Clearview Manhasset Cinemas, Cinema Arts Centre in Huntington

BOTTOM LINE A carefully crafted film anchored by Scott Thomas