Under the Sand

2000 Drama

Noted French filmmaker François Ozon directs this drama about personal loss and resilience. Marie (Charlotte Rampling) is deeply in love with her husband, Jean (Bruno Cremer). One day while vacationing at the seashore, Jean disappears into the ocean. A distraught Marie notifies the authorities, but sadly, they find no trace of her beloved husband. Later, back in Paris, Marie attends a dinner party hosted by her friend Amanda (Alexandra Stewart); over the course of dinner, it emerges that Marie and Jean had been married for 25 years. Marie speaks of Jean as if he were still alive, something that disturbs Amanda's fellow dinner guests, and after she is driven home by Vincent (Jacques Nolot), another guest, Marie sees Jean in her apartment and at breakfast the next morning. It quickly becomes apparent that Marie's imagination enables her to go along in life as if nothing happened to Jean, but as she slowly becomes involved with Vincent, she begins to cope with the fact that she is in fact living on her own. more..

Director: François Ozon

Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Bruno Cremer,Jacques Nolot, Alexandra Stewart, Pierre Vernier

Reviews

  • It's a great pleasure that -- we get to ponder one of the most involving psychological mysteries in recent memory.

    Desson Thomson - The Washington Post

    20 January 2013

  • Mesmerizing and unforgettable.

    - The Boston Globe

    20 January 2013

  • Mr. Ozon gives the movie to Ms. Rampling, whose performance is like a perfectly executed piano etude, finding precise, impossibly subtle shadings of pleasure, confusion and distress.

    Dana Stevens - The New York Times

    20 January 2013

  • Requires careful attention at its abrupt finish. Close concentration on the final shots yields a meaning not possible should a viewer's attention wander or turn away a few moments too soon.

    Kevin Thomas - Los Angeles Times

    20 January 2013

  • It's a role of fierce demands, and Rampling meets them all. In a summer of crass, Rampling is a true class act.

    Peter Travers - Rolling Stone

    20 January 2013

Awards

  • Best Actress

    Chlotrudis Awards (2002)

     
  • Best Actress (Meilleure actrice)

    César Awards, France (2002)

     
  • Best Actress

    European Film Awards (2001)

     
  • Best Actress

    National Society of Film Critics Awards (2002)

  • François Ozon

    San Sebastián International Film Festival (2000)