"Under the sand" is Francois Ozon's last picture in the 20th century (not the motion picture company), preceding his more recent work of "8 femmes" (2002), "Swimming pool" (2003) and "5x2" (2004) going into this century.
The first 15 minutes say more than meets the eye. The relationship between husband and wife is depicted in the blandly uneventful annual ritual of going to the summer cottage. Yet, during the rest of the film, you keep thinking back to these first few minutes, looking for clues to explain what you see. You recall how at the service station break she draws a puff from his cigarette and then almost playfully puts it in his mouth, and how he does not seem to respond much. You recall how before going to bed, she is visibly happy (though not excited, as they must have done this for years) at "finally getting to the vacation" and how he does not seem to respond much.
When he vanishes from the beach, presumably drowned, it gradually becomes clear that the film is a psychological study of the woman, a detailed account of how she gets on with her life career, friends, romance as if he is still around, at least in one corner of her mental existence. Without the details depicted in the first 15 minutes, this would have been it, a refusal by someone who is bereaved of a beloved to recognize the tragedy. (Ozon, I understand, interviewed grief counselors to study bereavement to prepare for the film). The first 15 minutes however add another layer, of doubting whether he simply disappeared because she has bored him so, as suggested by the mother-in-law.
Words film critics used to describe this film include unsentimental, restrained, simple, ruminative. Charlotte Rampling's performance has been universally hailed by critics as one of her best. They are right. Watching Rampling in this film is quite a mesmerizing experience.
The first 15 minutes say more than meets the eye. The relationship between husband and wife is depicted in the blandly uneventful annual ritual of going to the summer cottage. Yet, during the rest of the film, you keep thinking back to these first few minutes, looking for clues to explain what you see. You recall how at the service station break she draws a puff from his cigarette and then almost playfully puts it in his mouth, and how he does not seem to respond much. You recall how before going to bed, she is visibly happy (though not excited, as they must have done this for years) at "finally getting to the vacation" and how he does not seem to respond much.
When he vanishes from the beach, presumably drowned, it gradually becomes clear that the film is a psychological study of the woman, a detailed account of how she gets on with her life career, friends, romance as if he is still around, at least in one corner of her mental existence. Without the details depicted in the first 15 minutes, this would have been it, a refusal by someone who is bereaved of a beloved to recognize the tragedy. (Ozon, I understand, interviewed grief counselors to study bereavement to prepare for the film). The first 15 minutes however add another layer, of doubting whether he simply disappeared because she has bored him so, as suggested by the mother-in-law.
Words film critics used to describe this film include unsentimental, restrained, simple, ruminative. Charlotte Rampling's performance has been universally hailed by critics as one of her best. They are right. Watching Rampling in this film is quite a mesmerizing experience.