Very often, French films go places you'd never see Hollywood go. In "Under the Sand", you have a middle-aged leading lady, a very slow and deliberate pace as well as a very vague ending...all things you'd never see in a Hollywood movie. Because of this, it's not a film for everyone...but one for folks who appreciate such things. As for me, I love French films but I found this one a bit less fulfilling than normal.
When the story begins, Jean and Marie (Charlotte Rampling) go to the beach for a vacation. While Marie is relaxing on the sand, Jean says he's going for a swim. However, when Marie later goes looking for him, he's gone. Most likely he's drowned but exactly what his fate is, the film never clearly states. Much of the film consists of showing how Marie deals with her husband's death...or, more appropriately, how she refuses to deal with it or accept it. In fact, she even pretends to herself that he's still there and talks about him as if he returned long, long ago...safe and sound.
The idea of a mentally scarred and ill woman refusing to deal with death is an interesting, though not exactly pleasant one. But for me the reason this film only gets a 6 is that too many things are left dangling late in the film...far too much. As a result, it left me feeling a bit cheated. I did NOT neat a neat Hollywood ending but all the fine acting was undone by the rather unconventional script. See the film and see what I mean. An interesting experiment but a picture I didn't love.
FYI--There's a fair amount of nudity in this one--something you might just want to be aware of if you're thinking of watching it. Interestingly, much of it is of Rampling who looks amazing for a middle-aged lady.
When the story begins, Jean and Marie (Charlotte Rampling) go to the beach for a vacation. While Marie is relaxing on the sand, Jean says he's going for a swim. However, when Marie later goes looking for him, he's gone. Most likely he's drowned but exactly what his fate is, the film never clearly states. Much of the film consists of showing how Marie deals with her husband's death...or, more appropriately, how she refuses to deal with it or accept it. In fact, she even pretends to herself that he's still there and talks about him as if he returned long, long ago...safe and sound.
The idea of a mentally scarred and ill woman refusing to deal with death is an interesting, though not exactly pleasant one. But for me the reason this film only gets a 6 is that too many things are left dangling late in the film...far too much. As a result, it left me feeling a bit cheated. I did NOT neat a neat Hollywood ending but all the fine acting was undone by the rather unconventional script. See the film and see what I mean. An interesting experiment but a picture I didn't love.
FYI--There's a fair amount of nudity in this one--something you might just want to be aware of if you're thinking of watching it. Interestingly, much of it is of Rampling who looks amazing for a middle-aged lady.