I've Loved You So Long

Juliette moves into her sister Lea's house after fifteen years in prison. Nobody asks what she did and nobody forgets it either. The crime is disclosed halfway through the film, and at that moment the meaning of everything shifts. Philippe Claudel wrote and directed; known as a novelist, this was his first film. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Juliette, Elsa Zylberstein plays Lea. At the centre is a silence: Juliette does not defend herself, explain or ask forgiveness. Scott Thomas carries the role almost entirely through look and posture. The dialogue is in French and it counts among her strongest work in the language. The second subject is sisterhood: whether a bond severed for years can be rebuilt, and how a family hides its shame. It played at the Berlin Film Festival; Scott Thomas took prizes, and her missing an Oscar nomination was argued over at length that year. Who it is for: viewers who like quiet French drama and performance-led films. Who it is not for: anyone wanting fast resolution; the film withholds information on purpose.