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      Under the Sand

      Released May 4, 2000 1h 36m Drama List
      93% 74 Reviews Tomatometer 83% 2,500+ Ratings Audience Score For many years, Marie and Jean have happily spent their vacation together in the Landes region of western France. But this summer, while Marie naps on the beach, her husband goes swimming and vanishes without a trace. Tenaciously and disquietingly, Marie keeps the memory of her husband alive, often speaking of him as if he never disappeared. An offbeat study of the grieving process that will ring true for anyone who has gone through a similar personal loss. Read More Read Less
      Under the Sand

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      Critics Consensus

      Rampling carries the film with her finely nuanced performance of a woman coping with her husband's death.

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      Critics Reviews

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      Peter Howell Toronto Star Under The Sand lifts the phantom-spouse syndrome to the level of art, yet another dimension for this popular form. Rated: 3/4 Mar 1, 2002 Full Review Rick Groen Globe and Mail ... this picture demands (and rewards) close study ... Rated: 3/4 Mar 1, 2002 Full Review Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader Rated: 3/4 Aug 31, 2001 Full Review Dan DiNicola The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, NY) One of the most involving psychological mysteries in recent memory. Rated: A Apr 30, 2024 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia This Ozon movie doesn't make me cold or hot, but I do distinguish Charlotte Rampling's solid performance. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 6/10 Jul 20, 2020 Full Review PJ Nabarro Patrick Nabarro François Ozon finds exactly the right tone for telling the story, particularly in a subtly atmospheric opening stretch - played out elliptically, almost like a silent movie. Rated: 4/5 Mar 16, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

      Audience Reviews

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      isla s 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. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member 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 Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review andrey k Typically strong french drama from Ozon with riveting Charlotte Rampling's portrayal of a grieving woman that lost her husband. I like this kind of character study, where you have sympathy or even empathy towards all characters of a movie, everyone has something to say. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member A near masterpiece. Where has the early François Ozon gone??!? Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review Audience Member 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. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      Under the Sand

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      Movie Info

      Synopsis For many years, Marie and Jean have happily spent their vacation together in the Landes region of western France. But this summer, while Marie naps on the beach, her husband goes swimming and vanishes without a trace. Tenaciously and disquietingly, Marie keeps the memory of her husband alive, often speaking of him as if he never disappeared. An offbeat study of the grieving process that will ring true for anyone who has gone through a similar personal loss.
      Director
      François Ozon
      Screenwriter
      Emmanuèle Bernheim, François Ozon, Marina de Van, Marcia Romano
      Distributor
      Winstar Cinema
      Production Co
      Sony Pictures Classics
      Genre
      Drama
      Original Language
      French (France)
      Release Date (Theaters)
      May 4, 2000, Wide
      Release Date (DVD)
      Dec 11, 2001
      Box Office (Gross USA)
      $1.5M
      Runtime
      1h 36m
      Sound Mix
      Dolby Stereo, Dolby Digital, Dolby A, Surround, Dolby SR
      Aspect Ratio
      Flat (1.85:1)