After I've Loved You so Long: a Film Review

Last night, my husband Paul and I finally watched I've loved you so long (Original title: Il y a longtemps que je t'aime), a 2008 French feature film directed by Philippe Claudel. Despite its English subtitles, it reaches the audience deeper and further than many a movie in English. The power it exerts on audience is seen on multiple-levels:
1) International flavor. Look at Léa's, the younger sister's family. It consists of almost part of the Union Nations: Léa (Elsa Zylberstein) herself is half-French and half-English; husband Luc is half-Polish and Half-Russian, and two adopted daughters are Vietnamese. Among her friends are her Iraqi physician and his beloved family. But for some mysterious reason, a powerful feeling transcends all these racial differences. What we see is purely basic human nature, instead of superficial differences in facial features;
2) Human love. Léa's family attracts all love-deprived characters: Luc's mute father Papy Paul, two young Vietnamese girls, and newly released elder sister Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) who served 15 years' prison sentence for the murder of her own 6-year-old son. The love displayed is extremely tender: Papy Paul's loving and understanding look at the eloquent P'tit Lys, and quiet Juliette; Juliette's later patience at teaching her bigger niece with piano lessons; and the shot of Iraqi physician's hand around Léa's back when the latter consulted him on a rare disease case for her nephew;
3) Human understandings. The plot of I've loved you so long is not complicated: the true story of Léa's nephew's death, i.e., an act of euthanasia by his own mother. But through the unentanglement of the truth, we have traced a path of human understandings between parole officers and parolee; between sisters; husband and wife, daughters and parents, aunt and niece, and between the silent Juliette and her newly-acquainted coworkers & boss, etc.;
4) Powerful acting. The acting, especially by Kristin Scott Thomas, is unusually minimal. Her expressionless eyes tell most of the story itself.
5) Positive message. The film sends a very positive message to its audience: life is hard, and love is not easy to obtain, but hopes are still there. We just need to try a little harder.

No wonder I had such a hard time falling asleep after experiencing all these powers!