Under the Sand (2000)

When her husband goes missing at the beach, a female professor begins to mentally disintegrate as her denial of his disappearance becomes delusional.

Director:

François Ozon

Writers:

François Ozon (scenario and dialogue), Emmanuèle Bernheim (collaboration)

Stars:

Charlotte Rampling, Bruno Cremer, Jacques Nolot

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlotte Rampling	...	Marie Drillon
Bruno Cremer	...	Jean Drillon
Jacques Nolot	...	Vincent
Alexandra Stewart	...	Amanda
Pierre Vernier	...	Gérard
Andrée Tainsy	...	Suzanne
Maya Gaugler	...	German woman
Damien Abbou	...	Chief lifeguard
David Portugais	...	Young lifeguard
Pierre Soubestre	...	Policeman
Agathe Teyssier	...	In charge of luxury store
Laurence Martin	...	Apartment seller
Jean-François Lapalus	...	Paris doctor
Laurence Mercier	...	Paris doctor's secretary
Fabienne Luchetti	...	Pharmacist

Storyline

Marie, a professor of English literature in a Paris university, has been happily married to Jean for 25 years, although they have no children. During their summer vacations in the southwest of France, Jean leaves Marie sunbathing on the beach and goes to swim in the sea. When Marie turns back, she cannot find Jean. Has he left her? commited suicide? drowned? With no clue and no body to mourn over, Marie acts as her husband was still alive.

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Plot Keywords:

woman | beach | professor | suicide | vacation | 

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Taglines:

Can love vanish without a trace?

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery

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Certificate:

Unrated

Details

Country:

France Japan

Language:

French English

Release Date:

4 May 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Under the Sand

Filming Locations:

Lit-et-Mixe, Landes, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$32,657, 6 May 2001, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,450,106, 10 March 2002

Company Credits

Production Co:

Fidélité Productions,Euro Space,Haut et Court

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For financial reasons, the movie was shut down for 6 months, which worked for the best for François Ozon because then he actually shot on the summer and the winter, like the movie differentiates.

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Quotes

Marie Drillon: I am his wife, and I'm telling you, this is *not* him!

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Connections

Followed by Time to Leave (2005)

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Soundtracks

Undenied
By Beth Gibbons (as B. Gibbons) - Geoff Barrow (as G. Barrow)
Performed by Portishead
© Chrysalis Music LTD
Avec l'aimable autorisation des éditions Chrysalis Music
(p) 1997 Universal - Go Beat
Avec l'aimable autorisation de Universal Music Projets Spéciaux

User Reviews

An honest but uneasy depiction of a woman's yearning for her dead husband.

Many film fans run screaming for the door when confronted with French film drama. It is true: a lot of them tend to be over-talkative and self indulgent. François Ozon's Sous le sable is a worthy exception. Carried almost entirely by Charlotte Rampling, this story of a woman unable to face the loss of her husband marks the return to form of a great actress. Through her sensitive handling of her character one tends to forget the effort that must have gone into depicting an intelligent woman slowly going to pieces. Ozon managed to capture the special sensuality of an older woman especially well in the erotic scenes; imagined or otherwise. It is not an easy film to watch, the subject matter too painful, but its unflinching honesty coupled with Ramplings moving performance make it more than worth-while.