CINEMA: I Have Loved You So Long
There have been few performances by actresses this year that are truly Oscar worthy, but it is almost a certainty that Kristin Scott Thomas will be nominated for her luminous and courageous performance here.
She plays Juliette, a damaged woman with a shady past who returns to live with her sister Lea (Elsa Zylberstein), brother-in-law and young daughters after 15 years away. The almost monosyllabic Juliette seems ill at ease in company and unwilling to let anyone get near to her, but as the weeks go by her rock solid defences against the world and all it holds starts to weaken and it is as if she starts to live again. However, her past still haunts her and in one heart-wrenching scene we come to understand just why she is so afraid of life – and yet so brave.
Although Zylberstein as the loving and accepting Lea is delightful, it is definitely Scott Thomas who owns the movie. At first, devoid of make up and almost colourless, she invests Juliette with a coldness and a detached frailty that make her seem like the hollow shell of a person. But as her days bring new promise and new experiences she truly blossoms – in an extraordinary scene you can see the light come back into her eyes.
Although not a truly great film (the denouement is somewhat predictable), this is a wonderful performance from an actress in her prime. Who said there were no great roles for women of a certain age? Dee Pilgrim
Outstanding and Thought Provoking! Thanks So Much!