First Hit: What an amazing and mesmerizing performance by Kristen Scott Thomas.
I’ve had a lengthy and long distance love affair with Kristen and in this film; I was reawakened to it, yet again. Kristen plays Juliette Fontaine a woman steeped in sorrow and void of expressions.
The story begins as she sits in a train station waiting for someone to pick her up. Her sister Lea arrives and there are minimal pleasantries shared. Lea, played by Elsa Zylberstein, is much younger than Juliette and her adoration for her older sister is prevalent from the beginning. We learn that Juliette has just got out of prison where she spent 15 years for murder.
Slowly, very slowly during the film we learn whom she has killed and from where the depth of her sorrow emanates. In the true fashion of a French film the story and characters are given room to develop over time and the fullness of how all the characters develop only adds to the depth and beauty of this film.
Philippe Claudel both wrote and directed this film. Although, he has written a few prior films this was his first attempt at directing a full feature film and it is very well done. Scenes are given breadth and handled in a way that allows the characters to grow into full and believable roles. His handling of Lea’s oldest daughter is wonderful because we fully see the wonder of a child being introduced to her Auntie for the first time. Kristen’s acting in this film is beyond words and is the best performance by a woman I’ve seen all year by leaps and bounds. Elsa is superb as her much younger sister aching to be supportive of her sister and wanting to recreate the closeness they lost when Juliette went to prison. Elsa showing Juliette her daily calendar with Juliette’s name on the top of every page was a wonderful little scene of love.
Overall: I was deeply touched by this film and thought the slow unfolding of Juliette as portrayed by Kristen was extraordinary.