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Francois Ozon's Under The Sand begins simply, showing the faithful and loving relationship of Marie, a literature professor, and her husband Jean. One day while enjoying a book and some rest on the beach, Jean decided to take a swim. Several hours pass before it's evident he's disappeared. However, Marie refuses to acknowledge what happened, and she continues to speak of her husband in present tense. Under The Sand is a gripping examination of the psychological mourning of a missing loved one, and the spiritual connection within a faithful relationship; the one who outlives the other is suffering. While the film has some flaws, it's carried by an extraordinary lead performance from Charlotte Rampling. With little dialogue, you can feel the psychology and grief revealing itself simply through Rampling's eyes and movements. She completely inhabits the role and gives one of cinema's finest performances. Overall, Under The Sand is not perfect, but it's a sexy, stylish, thought-provoking poetic psychological drama with an outstanding actress, wonderful music (love the instrumental use of Portishead), and an ending that will remain on the viewer's mind long after watching.
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