It’s a shame that more people aren’t aware of the movies of French filmmaker Francois Ozon. For those who aren’t familiar, a good starting point would be Under the Sand. It is the story of Marie (Charlotte Rampling), a woman whose husband disappears, presumably drowned, while on a summer vacation. Unable to cope with his absence, she continues her life in a state of denial, despite the overwhelming evidence that her partner will not be returning. It is a haunting and unsettling film about loss and the enduring power of relationships, buoyed by one of Rampling’s best performances and a script that is both insightful and original.

This is a somewhat unsettling film. Its quite subtle in its delivery and it features a good, solid performance from Charlotte Rampling as Marie Drillon. Its one of those films in which its what isn't said, rather than what is, that perhaps tells you more about the main characters thoughts/emotions. Its a good watch with a fairly moving ending and so I'd recommend this film.

𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘢𝘯𝘥 is a by then 34-year old director and screenwriter François Ozon. Ozon had proven himself within a fairly short time to be more than capable at both disciplines. He knows the great range of emotion, the depth of expression that can be gleaned merely by the eyes, the face, our movements- from subtle to jarring. There is so much that can be perceived without dialogue, and lead actress Charlotte Rampling is a master at this aspect of her craft. Rampling dominates the film with a performance of such subtlety, telling us where her mind is in her struggle for acceptance vs. very real denial. This performance, I'm guessing, was seen by Andrea Pallaoro or someone involved in the 2018 film 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘯𝘢𝘩 where Rampling again plays a character whose mind is partitioned into reality and denial. 3.7 stars

A very good film. I would have given it five stars but for one technical error (reflection of boom operator seen in bookcase door) and an answerphone message months after her husband's disappearance that a body fitting his description had been found in the sea. I can't think of any civilised country which would leave such a traumatic message on an answerphone.

A near masterpiece. Where has the early François Ozon gone??!?

A middle-aged lady's husband disappears in the surf. Is he dead? Or fled? Some fool critic cited on the DVD box claims this is like a Hitchcock suspense film. NOT! Rampling's annoyingly flat performance costs her my empathy to the point I just wanted it to be over.

A sombre french story of grief and denial whose central performance is one of great depth.

Under The Sand lifts the phantom-spouse syndrome to the level of art, yet another dimension for this popular form.

Un film assez intense, de peu de mots pour beaucoup de sentiment, sur le processus de deuil. Superbement joué par Charlotte Rampling dans le rôle de l'épouse qui subit l'absence d'un disparu.

Very sad... wife loses husband and is attempting to go on with life, yet she is in denial of his drowning...

Being in denial is a blessing and a curse at the same time.

Had a chance to watch this movie tonight. How this movie is rated so high I'll never know. Snoozefest.

Beautiful and heartfelt. Another gem from the very robust French cinema industry. This is a truly moving depiction of the mourning process. Ozon does a great job.

Fans of 'Spoorloos' can afford to give 'Sous le sable' a miss. Ozon's 'Sous le sable' which translates roughly to 'Under the sand' is the story of Marie, a woman living in denial, after her husband goes missing in the sea while she is sunbathing. Marie wakes up from her novel mid way to find an empty beach with her husband nowhere in sight. She runs to a nude couple far away. No. They haven't seen him either. The coast guards, police? No. Marie's husband Jean goes missing just like that from their weekend holiday without even leaving a body or a letter behind, reason enough for Marie to assume he is still around. Marie goes home in the evenings to an empty house where she imagines Jean sitting beside her on the couch. She cooks meals for him, talks to him. When a friend of a friend lands a unsuspecting kiss, Marie feels guilty. What would her imaginary Jean think? Would he feel jealous? 'Spoorloos' released 12 years before 'Sous le sable' deals with a vanishing as well. The subject in question is a young dutch woman who goes to buy drinks while her husband and his car wait and refill in the gas station outside. She never returns and Rex, the poor hubby spends the next three years searching for her. A happy cheerful wife who goes shopping, where does a thing like that vanish? There is no note, no body and no ransom calls here too. Plain missing. And Rex isn't one of us who would be delighted that the Mrs has fled the scene. He is in love and is sure that something unspeakably macabre has happened to his wife. And he needs his answers. Which movie would you watch. Come on. The obvious ballsy choice is 'Spoorloos'. No? Rating ('Sous le sable') - 3 Stars Good

People who have experienced traumatic loss will totally get this movie......

My favourite film of all time, this film is beautiful and hypnotic. I need not say more than this film is a masterpiece. It breaks my heart every time.

"Under the Sand" is a touching film that deals tenderly and, at times, disturbingly with the subject of the grief and loss brought on by the death of a loved one. A lesser actress in the lead role may have given a performance seeped in melodrama, but Charlotte Rampling is wonderful and heartbreaking to watch and really does hold the film together on her own back.

François Ozon's films, even those that aren't entirely successful, are always worth seeing, and <i>Sous le Sable</i> is certainly no exception. This is one of his "deceptively simple" films, that, like <i>Le Refuge</i>, explores one or two themes but in realistic, surprising and moving ways. Here, Charlotte Rampling offers a quietly impressive role as Marie, whose husband Jean goes for a swim in the sea whilst vacationing and is never seen again, apparently drowned. Marie refuses to accept that he is gone, even his physical presence, let alone his life, and thinks of him and refers to him in the present tense, her grief too awful, traumatic, impossible to 'indulge' in. Deeply complex, the film concentrates almost only on her denial and how she is able (initially) to make excuses for Jean's absence in her life, and at home when alone, imagine he is there (though 'imagine' is not strictly true - delusional is more appropriate but that word also has connotations of madness that may not apply). It's not easy viewing in any sense of the word, but Ozon is absolutely in control of all the elements and Rampling's performance, which seems perpetually on the edge of shattering, is nothing less than perfectly observed, but also restrained, understated, all in facial expressions (see also the work of Kristin Scott-Thomas and Lauren Ambrose). An extraordinary film.

Etrange et plein de beaute, ce film incarne par Charlotte Rampling est sans aucun doute l un des sommets du realisateur.

It is the subtleties of this movie that make it so powerful, also beautifully shot.