Director Francois Ozon's mesmerizing "Under the Sand" (2000) is a subtle and perceptive look into that most sensitive of human conditions: loss and grief. It shows the stunning, gifted Charlotte Rampling mellowing beautifully both as a woman and an actress.
Here she plays a character named Marie, who's long been married to Jean (played by one Bruno Cremer, a name worth killing for, no?). As we observe Jean at the outset, he appears both out of shape and somewhat pre-occupied, but Marie seems not to notice. Then, on a short beach holiday, Jean announces he's going for a swim and promptly disappears. Has he drowned, committed suicide, or just left for parts- and reasons- unknown?
Suffice it to say that Ozon (who also co-scripted) is unafraid to resolve some questions, while leaving others unanswered. The focus here is on how Marie handles the maddening uncertainty of her predicament, and all the contradictory and confusing emotions this tragic situation brings with it.
The film is all Charlotte Rampling, and that's a good thing. This actress gives a nuanced, heartfelt performance that's truly revelatory. Like her contemporary Julie Christie, age has not dimmed her physical beauty, but allowed her to venture beyond the sex-kittenish roles she was so often handed in her twenties and thirties, the most obvious being her jaw-dropping early turn as a vain, aloof London partygoer in "Georgy Girl"(1966).
Here we see a performer at the peak of her gifts, in a film worthy of her immense talent. More interesting by far than the over-hyped , later Ozon/Rampling collaboration, "Swimiming Pool" (2003), "Under The Sand" should not be under your radar.
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