I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG
RYAN: You have been all but trying to forcibly drag me to see the French-language film, “I’ve Loved You So Long” starring Kristin Scott Thomas, and now we’ve finally seen it. Was it as good as you hoped it would be?
CAROLINE: It’s quite good, though I kind of figured out what the ending was going to be before it happened, and that was disappointing.
RYAN: I’m proud of you for that!
CAROLINE: I know, right? Usually I’m so lost and can’t figure out what’s going on. This movie is interesting since it’s a little known fact here in the States that Kristin Scott Thomas has an extensive film career en français. She plays the lead role in this one and I thought she was excellent.
RYAN: I thought she was good, but that the role is better than she is. It’s an intense role, and I think any decent actress would have been just as good.
CAROLINE: Yes, but could they have done it in French?
RYAN: [laughs’ Only Jodie Foster. KST was absolutely unrecognizable at the beginning of the film; she looked like she had no makeup on except for the stuff to make dark circles under her eyes.
CAROLINE: Well, her character’s just gotten out of prison after fifteen years, so she’s hardly at the top of her game. This is a very slow, contemplative film about her trying to build a new life for herself post-prison, as well as mend her relationship with her sister.
RYAN: There’s been a lot of Oscar buzz for her performance, but not enough happened in the movie for me. I wanted more drama. A couple of her monologues were wonderful, but didn’t necessarily warrant an Oscar nod for me.
CAROLINE: Maybe everyone’s just impressed at how good her French is. She sounds like a native speaker. I think she lived in France for a while and had a French husband; she’s obviously fluent. It’s definitely an artsy movie what with the sub-titles and all, so if you’re looking for an action-packed film, this isn’t one for you.
RYAN: That frustrated me a little. I wanted the pace to pick up. One of the things I enjoyed most was hearing you audibly respond every time the sister’s kids came onscreen.
CAROLINE: OMG they were adorable. The sister has two adopted Vietnamese girls, and they stole every scene they were in. I cooed aloud during every scene they were in. And it’s just funny to see these cute little Asian girls speaking French.
RYAN: The screenplay was pretty good, but a little manipulative. They withheld some information from us till the very end of the film, which is fine; but I thought it dragged out a little too long. And in the film’s climax starts halfway through the fight between KST and her sister. You don’t get to see the initial confrontation, which annoyed me.
CAROLINE: The thing I noticed most during the climax was the two enormous veins popping out of KST’s forehead. Girlfriend was workin’] for that drama.
RYAN: Totally.
— BOTTOM LINE —
RYAN: I find it highly unlikely that the Oscar’s going to go to a French-speaking actress two years in a row, and in comparison to last year’s winner, KST wasn’t as good. But she’s a brilliant actress nonetheless, and this movie isn’t bad; just a little slow for me. It’s not one you have to see in the theater, but you could rent it if you love Kristin Scott Thomas or French movies.
— RATING —
