| I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG (2008) : P.Claudel : 7/10 |
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 It's odd that an actress so prominent and accomplished as Kristin Scott Thomas should, at 48, have only a single Oscar nomination to her name: Best Actress for 1996's The English Patient. That picture brought her a second BAFTA nomination two years after her win for Four Weddings and a Funeral - but that's the last time she was recognised by the British Academy. Even stranger is the fact that, despite being based in France since 1979, and having appeared in almost as many Francophone roles as Anglophone, she's never been nominated for a single César. All being well, however, Scott Thomas's nominations-haul looks set to increase on both sides of the Channel - and maybe the Atlantic too - thanks to I've Loved You So Long, which has already been described as "a cause for early Oscar chatter." Her performance is the most notable and impressive aspect of this belated directorial debut from novelist Philippe Claudel, working from his own original screenplay. Scott Thomas is Juliette, recently released from prison after serving a 15-year-sentence. She moves in with her younger sister Lea (Elsa Zylberstein) and Lea's family, and we observe as she gradually regains something resembling a normal life: job, sexual encounters, social interactions, quotidian family stuff, a possible romantic attachment. Along the way, Lea gradually discovers (via a slightly clunky coincidence) the truth behind the never-discussed circumstances which led to Juliette's incarceration - painful details which alert audiences will probably be able to deduce some way before the cathartic climax. Despite this slight air of predictability, there's much to admire about the way Claudel and his performers handle the delicate story-arc. Scott Thomas is outstanding as Juliette develops from the crotchety, knackered-out ex-con we see at the beginning, into a rather beautiful and engagingly confident person who, while forever scarred by her terrible experiences, finds some grounds for optimism (even her walk changes - slightly but perceptibly). The picture probably wouldn't work without Zylberstein, however: Lea is perhaps the trickier role than Juliette, and it's to Zylberstein's credit that she's able to provide such strong support for Scott Thomas without being totally outshone by the senior actress. Claudel largely confines himself to allowing the ladies to get on with it - visually, we're pretty close to a high-toned TV movie, and his direction is overall a pretty functional affair (he's overly fond of having acoustic guitars twangling through the soundtrack) apart from a couple of relatively audacious choices regarding the point at which certain scenes fade in and out. Claudel will probably never achieve the kind of prominence in cinema that he's found in literature, but this is a promisingly solid effort nonetheless. Neil Young 29.Sep.08 Il y a longtemps que je t'aime France (Fr/Ger) 2008 117m (BBFC) director : Philippe Claudel (debut) editor : Virginie Bruant (Scorpion.) seen 28.9.08 The Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle (£6.85)  |
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