Under the Sand
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
It's a great pleasure that -- we get to ponder one of the most involving psychological mysteries in recent memory.
Mesmerizing and unforgettable.
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.
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.
It's a role of fierce demands, and Rampling meets them all. In a summer of crass, Rampling is a true class act.
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)
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