A riveting character piece which will stir the soul upon completion, I’ve Loved You So Long is a tale of two sisters reunited after tragic circumstance kept them apart for 15 years.

The film opens upon a weathered and fragile figure named Juliet, which is exactly the opposite of the actress portraying her, the elegant Kristin Scott Thomas. Out on probation after a decade and a half in jail, tidbits are fed as to who Juliette was, and what she did. While we the viewer place together the pieces of her puzzle, Juliette breaks out of her hardened shell and reconnects with society.

A major part of her resurrection is the reconnection with younger sister, Lea (Elsa Zylberstein). She takes Juliette on board in her home, where Juliette irks the suspicion of Lea’s husband Luc (Serge Hazanavicius), and the wonderment of Lea’s adopted Vietnamese daughters (Lise Sugar and Lily Rose).

As Juliette slowly blossoms from her cocoon, romantic suitors emphatically come knocking. Most notable of these are police Captain Faure (Frederic Peirot), and Lea’s co-worker, Michel (Laurant Grevail).

Thomas is absolutely astonishing. Playing a totally empathetic but extremely flawed figure, she delivers a performance dictated by subtle nuances, as her character plays slave to old prison habits (the cigarette packet tucked in her upper t-shirt; periods of isolation), while re-integrating herself into society.

Where Thomas really shines is in her ability to convey repressed emotions through body language. Two key scenes brilliantly portray this.

The first is an excruciating job interview, where Juliette is forced to confess her shocking crime which placed her in jail.

The second is a reunion of sorts with her mother (Claire Johnston), who banished the very memory of Juliette after she was sent to prison. Now suffering from Alzheimer’s, their reconciliation is sweetly tragic, as a clearly deluded mother embraces her long exiled daughter. The reaction from Thomas is priceless, as happiness, sadness, and disgust are portrayed in a matter of seconds, without a single word uttered.

I’ve Loved You So Long is a story about redemption. But it is not Juliette who is seeking atonement. The sin and stigma of her crime will never be erased or forgiven, and she knows it.

Rather, the redemptive figure her is Lea (played brilliantly by Elsa Zylberstein), who tries to make amends for failing to stand by her sisters side.

I’ve Loved You So Long was written and directed by acclaimed French novelist, and literature professor, Philippe Claudel. This is Claudel’s film debut, and while it is no surprise that his screenplay is top rate – in fact, his writing should be receiving the same award talks as his two leads – Claudel’s direction is impressively solid, and helps convey the bare intimacy his writing portrays.