Sight and Sound
"[T]he film succeeds on its own terms as a character study by a writer-director with psychological insight and a gift for eliciting extraordinary performances from actors." 10/01/2008 p.69USA Today
3 stars out of 4 -- "Kristin Scott Thomas has never disappointed in any role....In the French language film I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG, she is given the opportunity to shine with a fierceness that is rare in Hollywood films." 10/24/2008 Los Angeles Times
"[A] thoughtful, provocative film....Performances this strong and direction this sensitive make us simply grateful to have an emotional story we can sink our teeth into and enjoy." 10/24/2008 New York Times
"Mr. Claudel's practice of fading slowly to black between scenes, and the spidery tones of Jean-Louis Aubert's score, create an atmosphere of mystery and dread..." 10/24/2008 Rolling Stone
3.5 stars out of 4 -- "The transcendent Scott Thomas, alert to every nuance from comic to tragic, should be on the march to Oscar. There aren't many performances you can call flawless. This one is." 11/30/2008 p.136 Box Office
4 stars out of 5 -- "Kristin Scott Thomas gives an outstanding performance in the French-language I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG..." 11/01/2008 p.81 Chicago Sun-Times
"This is one of Kristin Scott Thomas' most inspired performances." 10/29/2008 Total Film
4 stars out of 5 -- "[A]s a showcase for its leading lady's trademark brand of flinty minimalism and icy reserve, this ticks all the right boxes." 02/20/2009 Empire
4 stars out of 5 -- "Scott Thomas delivers the performance of her career, slowly inhabiting her character with vitality and warmth..." 03/01/2009 Entertainment Weekly
"[Scott Thomas] shines in this devastating French-language drama....She's all quiet, sharply etched details..." -- Grade: A- 03/06/2009 ReelViews 8 of 10
I've Loved You So Long is a meditative French drama about awakening from a metaphorical death. It's about how a shared past can inform present expectations and about whether relationships can bridge a gulf of years and extend beyond a tragedy that is in many ways neither understood nor explained. Writer/director Philippe Claudel's approach to the material is straightforward and free of melodrama, but he elects to present a critical aspect of the protagonist's history as an element of mystery. Rather than peeling back the curtain on the past to the audience at the beginning, he gradually reveals pieces of the central tragedy and what it means, and has meant, for those involved...Acting is one of the movie's most obvious strengths. Kristin Scott-Thomas, who may still be best known for her roles in Four Weddings and a Funeral and The English Patient, has in recent years elected to recede from the high profile spotlight and appear in smaller productions like this one. She gives Juliette a real sense of depth and pathos...I've Loved You So Long is the kind of film that will bore to tears those who do not enjoy simple, unforced character dramas. The movie's action largely takes place beneath the skin. The pace is slow but not glacial, yet Claudel demands patience. Ultimately, I've Loved You So Long is uplifting, although one might not expect that from the thematic material. The production rewards viewers who roll with the shifting tones, explore the mystery of Juliette's past alongside Lea, and stay to the end. This may be a tough sell in a marketplace dominated by ADD motion pictures, but I'm convinced there's an audience out there. - James Berardinelli
Chicago Sun-Times 9 of 10
"I've Loved You So Long" begins with a situation similar to "Rachel Getting Married." One sister is released from an institution for a homecoming with another sister who is not overjoyed to see her. Both of the sisters are believed responsible for a tragic death some years in the past. There are subtle questions about whether either one can be "trusted" even now. But the two films are otherwise completely different, and if you've seen one, you haven't seen the other..."Rachel" is as American as apple pie. "I've Loved You So Long" is as French as tarte du pomme. Hackneyed expressions, but there you are. One of the most French elements in "Loved You" is Juliette, played by Kristin Scott Thomas. Yes, from "The English Patient." One of those actors who can move effortlessly between English and French, like Jacqueline Bisset or, with a charming accent, Jeanne Moreau, who had a British mother...French seems to agree with Scott Thomas. In her English-language roles, she sometimes seems a little cool, ever so slightly aloof. In French, she warms, is more free with emotions, more easily reaches joy and sorrow. Watch her here falling in with the two adopted Vietnamese daughters of her sister Lea (Elsa Zylberstein). It's a love that seems spontaneous and not faked...Everything centers on Juliette. Her transgression was more unforgivable than what Rachel's sister did. Her feelings run even deeper. She has been away for longer and finds it more difficult to gather up the threads of life. This is one of Kristin Scott Thomas' most inspired performances. The Academy may get her confused with herself. - Roger Ebert
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