Box office ''I've Loved You So Long'' grossed $3,169,305 in the United States and Canada, and $20,287,323 in other territories, for a worldwide total of $23,456,628.
Critical response Tone Critics noted the film's potentially problematic mixture of tones, as it veers between foreboding and sentimentality.
A. O. Scott of
The New York Times said, "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 that is both appropriate to the story and a little misleading. If ''I've Loved You So Long'' is not exactly a horror movie, it is nonetheless filled with fear and foreboding. […] This kind of narrative is familiar enough, and so are the risks of sentimental talk-show piety associated with it." He concluded, however, that the film has a "tough-minded resistance to the temptations of
melodrama." Scott was not entirely convinced by the film's ending. He wrote, "A revelation comes near the end that is both tremendously moving and a bit disappointing, in the way that the solutions to great mysteries frequently are. This turn does not diminish the accomplishment of Ms. Scott Thomas's deep, subtle and altogether stunning performance, but it does alter the scale of the movie, turning it into a more manageable, less existentially unsettling drama. Which is a relief, I suppose, but also a bit of a letdown." Derek Elley of
Variety called the film "utterly engrossing despite being, on the surface, about very little" and added, "Claudel's script is built out of everyday, unmelodramatic events, succinctly dialogued and not nearly as downbeat as the movie sounds on paper." Kenneth Turan was even more positive, describing the film as "An example of the French tradition of high-quality adult melodrama, conventional in technique but not story, this thoughtful, provocative film is slow developing because it's all about character".
Acting and direction Critics praised the acting, especially that of Kristin Scott Thomas. A. O. Scott felt she mitigated the film's tonal problems: "Luckily, Ms. Scott Thomas’s furious honesty rules out easy, unearned redemption". Elley too found Scott Thomas to be "aces in the lead role, with flashes of mordant wit that prevent it from becoming a dreary study in self-pity." However, he felt that "Zylberstein, a variable actress who's very dependent on her directors, is good here, but lacks Scott Thomas' quiet heft and can't quite handle Lea's occasional emotional outbursts. Still, the sisters' dramatic final talk works just fine."
Accolades •
BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language (
winner) •
BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Kristin Scott Thomas, nominee) •
BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay (nominee) •
British Independent Film Award for Best Foreign Film (nominee) •
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film (nominee) •
César Award for Best First Feature Film (Philippe Claudel,
winner) •
César Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Elsa Zylberstein,
winner) •
César Award for Best Film (nominee) •
César Award for Best Actress (Scott Thomas, nominee) •
César Award for Best Original Screenplay (nominee) •
César Award for Best Music Written for a Film (Jean-Louis Aubert, nominee) • Critic Award of Zygmunt Kałużyński, International Film Festival
TOFIFEST 2009 (
winner) •
European Film Award for Best European Actress (Scott Thomas,
winner) •
Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film (nominee) •
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (Scott Thomas, nominee) •
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Best British Actress of the Year (Scott Thomas,
winner) •
Satellite Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama (Scott Thomas, nominee) • London's Favourite French Film 2009 (
winner) ==See also==