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Under The Sand Details

2000 DVD Certificate 15.gif
  • Rated:
  • 60
  • from 2175 members

Marie and Jean are a married couple, set in the rhythms of a life spent together. As they begin their regular holiday at their country house, nothing seems amiss. But one day at the beach, while Marie naps in the sand, Jean goes for a swim and vanishes without a trace. Frantic, Marie combs the beach, then calls the lifeguards .. Read more

Starring Charlotte Rampling, Jacques Nolot, Bruno Cremer, Alexandra Stewart
Director Francois Ozon
Genres Drama, World Cinema

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Under The Sand

Marie and Jean are a married couple, set in the rhythms of a life spent together. As they begin their regular holiday at their country house, nothing seems amiss. But one day at the beach, while Marie naps in the sand, Jean goes for a swim and vanishes without a trace. Frantic, Marie combs the beach, then calls the lifeguards and local police, who are all unable to locate him. Left with unanswered questions, Marie returns to Paris alone. She attends to her familiar schedule of teaching classes, going to the gym and meeting with friends, but she is consumed by memories of her beloved Jean- unable to imagine a life without him. Tenaciously, Marie keeps the memory of her husband alive, often speaking of him as if he never disappeared. She strikes up a tentative relationship with Vincent, but is unable to make a real commitment. Ultimately she must grapple with her life alone while coping with her erotic stirrings and fantasy life.

Starring Charlotte Rampling, Jacques Nolot, Bruno Cremer, Alexandra Stewart, Pierre Vernier, Andree Tainsey
Director Francois Ozon
Studio ARTIFICIAL EYE
Run time DVD: 1 hr 34 mins
Certificate DVD Certificate 15.gif
Genres Drama, World Cinema
Language French
Subtitles English
Released DVD: 24 Sep 2001
Production year: 2000
Format DVD

  • Critics' reviews (6) of Under The Sand

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  • 4 stars out of 5

    Thirty-six years after her screen debut, Charlotte Rampling turns in the finest performance of her career in this sensitively relentless study of melancholic delusion. Convinced she still sees him every day, a sophisticated Parisian teacher (Rampling) simply refuses to accept that her husband (Bruno Cremer) drowned on their seaside holiday and treats her liaison with Jacques Nolot as a deliciously reckless adultery rather than an agonising attempt to relaunch her shattered life. Reducing dialogue to essentials and making exemplary use of cool, reflective surfaces, François Ozon confirms his reputation among French cinema's likeliest contenders, as he finds poetry and optimism in the depths of grief.

    • Radio Times
    • Posted 29 Jan 2006

  • "...A delicate and devastating film....[It] features one of the best performances of the year....It's a role of fierce demands, and Rampling meets them all..."

    • Rolling Stone
    • Posted 11 Mar 2005

  • Most helpful member's review of Under The Sand

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  • 22 out of 22 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Rampling's Finest

    On the first morning of their annual summer vacation, Marie and Jean go to the beach. Married 25 years, they appear relaxed with each other. Marie dozes on the sand whilst Jean sets off for a swim. He never returns.

    Rampling gives possibly her finest performance as a woman confronted with immeasurable change in her life. Ozon refuses to offer neat solutions, instead leading the viewer through Marie's actions and reactions as time passes. Is Marie in complete denial or completely in control?

    Highly recommended.

      • A customer from London, England
      • Posted 08 Aug 2004 15:28

  • Most recent members' review of Under The Sand

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  • 7 out of 7 people found this review helpful

    Rated - 5 stars

    Brilliant French Cinema

    A thinking man/woman's film. Ozon has steered that difficult line down the middle (like One Hour Photo) where he gives suggestions, plenty of them, as to what is happening, but does not force any particular answer. You can judge for yourself whether Marie is distraught over the death of her husband so much that she can't come to terms with it and accept he has gone, or whether he has abandoned her or whether he has some other fate (think of the title). This is in the same league as such films as L'Enfer where one has to realise that we are seeing the film through someone elses eyes and this view may be subjective rather than objective. The acting and photography are superb and make this film enjoyable even if you just take it at a straight plot, superficial level. If you love French cinema, and like a film that you can discuss for days after watching it then this is a must see. I am off to see what else this director has done.

      • JG Weston from Chelmsford Essex
      • Posted 29 May 2005 20:46

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2,175 Member ratings
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460
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163
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97
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73
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      • Marie and Jean are a married couple, set in the rhythms of a life spent together. As they begin their regular holiday at their country house, nothing seems amiss. But one day at the beach, while ...