Under the Sand
| Sous le sable | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | François Ozon |
| Produced by |
Olivier Delbosc Marc Missonnier |
| Written by |
François Ozon Emmanuèle Bernheim |
| Starring |
Charlotte Rampling Bruno Cremer |
| Music by | Philippe Rombi |
| Cinematography |
Antoine Héberlé Jeanne Lapoirie |
| Edited by | Laurence Bawedin |
| Distributed by | Haut et Court |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
Under the Sand (French: Sous le sable, pronounced [su lə sɑbl]) is a 2000 French drama film directed and written by François Ozon. The film was nominated for three César Awards and was critically well received. It stars Charlotte Rampling and Bruno Cremer.
Plot
Marie, happily married to Jean for 25 years, is a lecturer in English literature at a Paris university. During their summer vacation in the southwest of France, Jean goes to swim in the sea while his wife is sunbathing and never returns, vanishing without trace. No body is found and several questions arise. Has he left her, committed suicide, drowned? With no body to mourn, she pretends that he is still alive and present in their apartment. Her life becomes characterized by denial, cloaked in enigmatic complexity and emotional disorientation. When the badly decomposed body is found in the sea and identified from dental records, she refuses to admit it is Jean. She imagines she will see him alive as he was on the beach.
Cast
- Charlotte Rampling as Marie Drillon
- Bruno Cremer as Jean Drillon
- Jacques Nolot as Vincent
- Alexandra Stewart as Amanda
- Pierre Vernier as Gérard
- Andrée Tainsy as Suzanne
- Maya Gaugler as German woman
- Damien Abbou as Chief lifeguard
- David Portugais as Young lifeguard
- Pierre Soubestre as Policeman
- Agathe Teyssier as Manager of luxury store
- Laurence Martin as Apartment seller
- Jean-François Lapalus as Paris doctor
- Laurence Mercier as Paris doctor's secretary
- Fabienne Luchetti as Pharmacist
Production
Filming
The film was shot in Paris and in the Landes department including Lit-et-Mixe, Mimizan-Plage beach and at Saint-Julien-en-Born.
Awards
Sous le sable was nominated for Best Film at the César Awards 2002. It also earned Best Director and Best Actress César nominations for Ozon and Rampling.
Comparison
The plot of Sous le Sable bears some resemblance to that of the 1990 British romantic comedy Truly, Madly, Deeply.
Reception
The Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman admired Sous le sable, claimed that he watched the film several times.[1]
References
- ↑ Bergman, Ingmar, and Raphael Shargel. Ingmar Bergman: Interviews. Jackson: University of Mississippi, 2007. 191.