Critical reception I've Loved You So Long

1 critical reception

1.1 tone
1.2 acting , direction
1.3 top tens

critical reception

reviews ve loved long positive, earning 88% freshness rating @ rotten tomatoes based on 123 reviews. consensus stated ve loved long sublimely acted family drama noteworthy directorial debut phillipe claudel. film fared 79% worth of 28 favorable reviews amongst critics @ metacritic.

tone

critics noted film s potentially problematic mixture of tones, veers between foreboding , sentimentality. a. o. scott of new york times said, mr. claudel’s practice of fading black between scenes, , spidery tones of jean-louis aubert’s score, create atmosphere of mystery , dread both appropriate story , little misleading. if i’ve loved long not horror movie, nonetheless filled fear , foreboding . . . kind of narrative familiar enough, , risks of sentimental talk-show piety associated it. concluded, however, film has tough-minded resistance temptations of melodrama . scott not entirely convinced film s ending. wrote, revelation comes near end both tremendously moving , bit disappointing, in way solutions great mysteries are. turn not diminish accomplishment of ms. scott thomas’s deep, subtle , altogether stunning performance, alter scale of movie, turning more manageable, less existentially unsettling drama. relief, suppose, bit of letdown.

derek elley of variety called film utterly engrossing despite being, on surface, little , added, claudel s script built out of everyday, unmelodramatic events, succinctly dialogued , not downbeat movie sounds on paper. kenneth turan more positive, describing film example of french tradition of high-quality adult melodrama, conventional in technique not story, thoughtful, provocative film slow developing because s character .

acting , direction

critics praised acting, of kristin scott thomas. a. o. scott felt mitigated film s tonal problems: luckily, ms. scott thomas’s furious honesty rules out easy, unearned redemption . turan wrote, when re doing film this, want best acting can get, , writer , first-time director philippe claudel chose brilliantly when picked kristin scott thomas star shattered juliette . . . ve loved not without weaknesses . . . performances strong , direction sensitive make grateful have emotional story can sink our teeth , enjoy.

mick lasalle of san francisco chronicle commented:

kristin scott thomas performance . . . 1 of small handful of highlights people remember year in movies. acting @ exalted. film being used supreme purpose , function, show us, moment moment, grand movements of soul. if re lucky, 1 or 2 gifts year . . . ve loved long worth seeing more once, watch how thomas scores performance beginning end . . . [she] plays juliette no energy left pretense . . . @ times, has aura of sadness , defensiveness . . . none of spoken in writer-director philippe claudel s screenplay.

elley found scott thomas aces in lead role, flashes of mordant wit prevent becoming dreary study in self-pity. however, felt zylberstein, variable actress s dependent on directors, here, lacks scott thomas quiet heft , can t quite handle lea s occasional emotional outbursts. still, sisters dramatic final talk works fine.

the critics praised claudel s direction. scott wrote, claudel gratifyingly absorbed in details of setting , character. , though unfathomable horror in juliette’s past dominates else, small felicities , absurdities of real life manage peek through gloom. lasalle praised work actors:

it s beauty of claudel s design able suggest specific nature of juliette s conflict through pictures, setting moments of tension , generously showing face of lead actress . . . director has make 3 great films before can called great. debut film, claudel can check off first box. proves himself adept @ controlling story @ directing actors, , intuitive leap - casting thomas - inspired , transformative. has made thomas sexy , volatile , has turned actress future movies absolutely must seen.

top tens

the film cited 1 of year s ten best many critics, including joe neumaier of new york daily news, mick lasalle of san francisco chronicle, rick groen of globe , mail, josh rosenblatt of austin chronicle, steve rea of philadelphia inquirer, ray bennett of hollywood reporter, anthony lane of new yorker, ann hornaday of washington post, , david denby of new yorker.