I disagree with a few comments below: first, I believe it 'is' appropriate to switch back and forth between French and English because the character is an english literature professor in Paris and has bilingual friends; second, I feel it is unfair of anyone to characterize the main character as elderly, she is sensual, attractive, and tentatively has a good life to live in her future. I think the loss to the woman of her husband is like suddenly confronting the loss of the last 25 years of her life. To be able to cope with this changed reality she must cautiously explore a new experience; she is afraid to let go of her past and afraid to take hold of a future. I believe at the end of the movie we are shown that she will continue to refuse to relinquish the past, yet, invariably, it is shown to her that she must go on, embracing the present, as must we all.
81 Reviews
An honest but uneasy depiction of a woman's yearning for her dead husband.
libertyvalance29 April 2001
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.
Requires settling in and brooding, and watching Rampling slowly adjust and consider love and death
secondtake6 February 2010
Under the Sand (2000)
The plot is simple, almost too simple, and because very little happens, it depends on mood and deeply serious thinking about death to survive. And on Charlotte Rampling to have the nuance and range to pull it off.
And it works, overall, because of just those two things: heavy subject and Rampling. There are issues (and tricks, cinematically) with ghosts and memories, but these play small against the bigger strain of the lead woman dealing with this sudden trauma in her life. Even though the main event in the movie happens at the start, I don't dare mention it because its surprise is important (I didn't know it was coming, and liked the way it was handled very much).
Director Francois Ozon never seems to quite nail down the pace and editing of his films, at least for American sensibilities. Even the sensationally complex Swimming Pool doesn't quite use its material to propel us in every scene. But let's turn that on its head and say that Ozon uses emptiness and gaps in the action to give his movies breathing room, or maybe, in some old fashioned sense, the make them serious. When nothing is "happening" you can only start to think and dwell on the events, along with the characters. In Under the Sand there is nothing else to do and yet it's exactly what Rampling in her role has to do: think and dwell. It's slow at times, yes, but only if you don't let yourself relax and get absorbed.
And, like the character, confuse what is real from what is chimera, and what she needs with what she once had, and even one man from another. Even her fluid bi-lingual abilities add to the duality. By the time you get to the final scene you are left wondering what true love really is, and whether it's worth it. Because maybe it is. She has something most people do not, and it seems like a sickness and a gift at once.
The plot is simple, almost too simple, and because very little happens, it depends on mood and deeply serious thinking about death to survive. And on Charlotte Rampling to have the nuance and range to pull it off.
And it works, overall, because of just those two things: heavy subject and Rampling. There are issues (and tricks, cinematically) with ghosts and memories, but these play small against the bigger strain of the lead woman dealing with this sudden trauma in her life. Even though the main event in the movie happens at the start, I don't dare mention it because its surprise is important (I didn't know it was coming, and liked the way it was handled very much).
Director Francois Ozon never seems to quite nail down the pace and editing of his films, at least for American sensibilities. Even the sensationally complex Swimming Pool doesn't quite use its material to propel us in every scene. But let's turn that on its head and say that Ozon uses emptiness and gaps in the action to give his movies breathing room, or maybe, in some old fashioned sense, the make them serious. When nothing is "happening" you can only start to think and dwell on the events, along with the characters. In Under the Sand there is nothing else to do and yet it's exactly what Rampling in her role has to do: think and dwell. It's slow at times, yes, but only if you don't let yourself relax and get absorbed.
And, like the character, confuse what is real from what is chimera, and what she needs with what she once had, and even one man from another. Even her fluid bi-lingual abilities add to the duality. By the time you get to the final scene you are left wondering what true love really is, and whether it's worth it. Because maybe it is. She has something most people do not, and it seems like a sickness and a gift at once.
Charlotte Rampling, mostly
harry_tk_yung13 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
"Under the sand" is Francois Ozon's last picture in the 20th century (not the motion picture company), preceding his more recent work of "8 femmes" (2002), "Swimming pool" (2003) and "5x2" (2004) going into this century.
The first 15 minutes say more than meets the eye. The relationship between husband and wife is depicted in the blandly uneventful annual ritual of going to the summer cottage. Yet, during the rest of the film, you keep thinking back to these first few minutes, looking for clues to explain what you see. You recall how at the service station break she draws a puff from his cigarette and then almost playfully puts it in his mouth, and how he does not seem to respond much. You recall how before going to bed, she is visibly happy (though not excited, as they must have done this for years) at "finally getting to the vacation" and how he does not seem to respond much.
When he vanishes from the beach, presumably drowned, it gradually becomes clear that the film is a psychological study of the woman, a detailed account of how she gets on with her life career, friends, romance as if he is still around, at least in one corner of her mental existence. Without the details depicted in the first 15 minutes, this would have been it, a refusal by someone who is bereaved of a beloved to recognize the tragedy. (Ozon, I understand, interviewed grief counselors to study bereavement to prepare for the film). The first 15 minutes however add another layer, of doubting whether he simply disappeared because she has bored him so, as suggested by the mother-in-law.
Words film critics used to describe this film include unsentimental, restrained, simple, ruminative. Charlotte Rampling's performance has been universally hailed by critics as one of her best. They are right. Watching Rampling in this film is quite a mesmerizing experience.
The first 15 minutes say more than meets the eye. The relationship between husband and wife is depicted in the blandly uneventful annual ritual of going to the summer cottage. Yet, during the rest of the film, you keep thinking back to these first few minutes, looking for clues to explain what you see. You recall how at the service station break she draws a puff from his cigarette and then almost playfully puts it in his mouth, and how he does not seem to respond much. You recall how before going to bed, she is visibly happy (though not excited, as they must have done this for years) at "finally getting to the vacation" and how he does not seem to respond much.
When he vanishes from the beach, presumably drowned, it gradually becomes clear that the film is a psychological study of the woman, a detailed account of how she gets on with her life career, friends, romance as if he is still around, at least in one corner of her mental existence. Without the details depicted in the first 15 minutes, this would have been it, a refusal by someone who is bereaved of a beloved to recognize the tragedy. (Ozon, I understand, interviewed grief counselors to study bereavement to prepare for the film). The first 15 minutes however add another layer, of doubting whether he simply disappeared because she has bored him so, as suggested by the mother-in-law.
Words film critics used to describe this film include unsentimental, restrained, simple, ruminative. Charlotte Rampling's performance has been universally hailed by critics as one of her best. They are right. Watching Rampling in this film is quite a mesmerizing experience.
A Lesson in Not Getting Real
LeJoe18 January 2002
Probably the best thing about director Francois Ozon's Sous le Sable (Under the Sand) is the re-emergence of sultry British actress Charlotte Rampling in the film's lead role. Having started out in the mid-60s, Rampling was beginning to appear in some rather offbeat, kinky films by the early 70s, such as the incestuous "Tis Pity She's a Whore" and the sado-masochistic "Night Porter." And though she's worked steadily since that time in various film and television roles, to my knowledge, Rampling hasn't had a lead role in a film for quite a few years. And it's good to see her in such fine form. She has always been a competent, attractive actress with an air of intrigue about her. So, here she is as Marie Drillon, a deluded widow who takes living in denial to new heights. Overwhelming evidence suggests that Marie's husband has drowned while swimming, yet she continues to speak of him as if he were alive and has conversations with him when he frequently appears in her apartment. It's a moderately interesting premise, though the pace of the film is a bit slow. As the story progresses, figuring out whether Mr. Drillon committed suicide or died accidentally becomes the focus of the plot. And for a while, it keeps you guessing by revealing small pieces of the puzzle. But the real matter at hand is Marie herself and the outcome of her delusional condition. She seems to make progress at times, especially when she starts dating a gentleman whom her best friend has recommended; yet she continues to struggle emotionally and psychologically.
Ultimately, one is most likely left with an uneasy feeling about poor Marie, and the film would have been more positive and probably stronger if her character could have fostered or conveyed a greater sense of growth. Even so, the film is above average, and Rampling turns in an excellent performance. And if nothing else, one is reminded that not all things in life can be neatly resolved or easily accepted; we choose either to grow, overcome the blows and take responsibility for the quality of our lives or we suffer the consequences.
Ultimately, one is most likely left with an uneasy feeling about poor Marie, and the film would have been more positive and probably stronger if her character could have fostered or conveyed a greater sense of growth. Even so, the film is above average, and Rampling turns in an excellent performance. And if nothing else, one is reminded that not all things in life can be neatly resolved or easily accepted; we choose either to grow, overcome the blows and take responsibility for the quality of our lives or we suffer the consequences.
Life, Death, Grieving , Loss and Coping
gradyharp30 July 2005
Warning: Spoilers
François Ozon is a rare director, one who takes a simple story, places it in the eyes and bodies of his cast, and simply lets the tale tell itself. SOUS LE SABLE (UNDER THE SAND) is an unforgettable film experience that probes deeply into our psyches, hearts, and reason: how do we cope with sudden death? Opening quietly in the French countryside, a loving middle-aged couple begins a brief vacation in a family house, quietly and lovingly going about removing dustcovers, opening shuttered windows - settling in for a time of being alone together. Marie (Charlotte Rampling) is a professor of English in Paris (her specialty is Virginia Woolf) and Jean (Bruno Cremer) is her retired husband. Their long-term love is palpable: Ozon provides almost no dialogue, as none is needed to establish this special relationship, so powerful is the non-verbal communication between Rampling and Cremer. They visit the beach the next day and while Marie is sunbathing, Jean goes for a swim - and never returns. Marie searches for him, engages lifeguards, and ultimately returns to Paris, trembling but intact. Months later, while Jean is never found, we see Marie reacting as though he still exists. She visualizes him in various situations and the two actors (yes, Jean is present in these scenes) interact as though nothing has changed. But Marie's friends note with great concern that she is 'delusional' and make various attempts for her to seek professional and emotional help. When news eventually arrives that Jean's body has been found, she internally denies this possibility but eventually returns to the vacation house town to identify the bloated corpse. Even at this point, though obviously in shock, she denies that the corpse is that of her beloved Jean. She walks back to the site where she last saw Jean and in the distance a figure rekindles her hope...
Charlotte Rampling delivers a performance wholly committed. She communicates the spectrum of feelings of this challenged strong woman with her eyes, her gazes in the mirror, her interaction with her class of students, her friends, her admirer with such power that makes her Marie a wholly credible creature stricken by loss yet surviving in her chosen manner. It is one of the great performances of cinema. The entire small cast of this film is perfection. Ozon is a magical director and continues to prove he is one of the most honest and quietly powerful figures in today's cinema. Highly recommended.
Grady Harp.
Charlotte Rampling delivers a performance wholly committed. She communicates the spectrum of feelings of this challenged strong woman with her eyes, her gazes in the mirror, her interaction with her class of students, her friends, her admirer with such power that makes her Marie a wholly credible creature stricken by loss yet surviving in her chosen manner. It is one of the great performances of cinema. The entire small cast of this film is perfection. Ozon is a magical director and continues to prove he is one of the most honest and quietly powerful figures in today's cinema. Highly recommended.
Grady Harp.
Well done but a film that is for a select audience.
planktonrules8 January 2017
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.
realistic, but magical - a masterpiece
peter_marklund1 August 2001
I don't quite understand comments about the movie being slow. To me it was quite unpredictable and it maintained suspense throughout. The acting was very good and what struck me the most was how the movie was able to strike a realistic balance in everything, that was almost eerie. Indeed that is what made the movie so convincing to me. What also fascinates me is that even though the movie was realistic it was magical . I guess the real world is a magical place :-)
Bottom line: go see it!
Bottom line: go see it!
OK--Charlotte Rampling is beautiful
Red-12517 May 2020
The French movie Under the Sand (2000) was written and directed by François Ozon.
It stars Charlotte Rampling as Marie Drillon, a loving wife whose husband disappears from the beach, and her life, suddenly and with no explanation. The remainder of the movie shows us how Marie deals with this bizarre, horrible situation. (Not well, by any definition.)
Charlotte Rampling was very beautiful, and it's obvious that director Ozon is absolutely entranced by her beauty. (At one point--in case we missed it--a saleswoman says to Marie that "the dress shows off your figure.")
For the entire movie, the camera is directed at Rampling, often with long closeups of her face. (Rampling was 54 at the time, but looked 45.) This is a film about Charlotte Rampling's beauty. Without Rampling there wouldn't be a movie.
I had mixed feelings about this film. The basic concept of a a woman forced to deal with the disappearance of the husband she loves is interesting. The way Marie copes--or doesn't cope--with the situation is also interesting.
However, I prefer a movie with more actors than just one. The film as Ozon gives it to us depends on us wanting to see Rampling--and essentially only Rampling--in every scene. If she weren't beautiful, would the movie work at all?
We saw this film on DVD, which was fine. After the opening at the beach, most of the action takes place indoors. Under the Sand has an IMDb rating of 7.1. I agree with this, and rated it 7.
It stars Charlotte Rampling as Marie Drillon, a loving wife whose husband disappears from the beach, and her life, suddenly and with no explanation. The remainder of the movie shows us how Marie deals with this bizarre, horrible situation. (Not well, by any definition.)
Charlotte Rampling was very beautiful, and it's obvious that director Ozon is absolutely entranced by her beauty. (At one point--in case we missed it--a saleswoman says to Marie that "the dress shows off your figure.")
For the entire movie, the camera is directed at Rampling, often with long closeups of her face. (Rampling was 54 at the time, but looked 45.) This is a film about Charlotte Rampling's beauty. Without Rampling there wouldn't be a movie.
I had mixed feelings about this film. The basic concept of a a woman forced to deal with the disappearance of the husband she loves is interesting. The way Marie copes--or doesn't cope--with the situation is also interesting.
However, I prefer a movie with more actors than just one. The film as Ozon gives it to us depends on us wanting to see Rampling--and essentially only Rampling--in every scene. If she weren't beautiful, would the movie work at all?
We saw this film on DVD, which was fine. After the opening at the beach, most of the action takes place indoors. Under the Sand has an IMDb rating of 7.1. I agree with this, and rated it 7.
Scratch the Surface
Nodriesrespect17 February 2008
A surprising change of pace for (up to that stage in his directorial career) shock auteur François Ozon in the wake of bourgeois facade-ripping as REGARDE LA MER and SITCOM, this minimalist masterpiece deals with love, loss and grief yet never becomes heavy-handed.
Middle-aged Marie (luminous Charlotte Rampling making a belated but extremely welcome return to leading roles), an English literature professor at a Parisian university, quite literally loses her husband (hauntingly sad-eyed Bruno Cremer) while on seaside holiday. She takes a nap on the beach as he's out swimming. When she wakes up, he has disappeared. Accidentally or voluntarily drowned ? Hiding perhaps from a stifling marriage ? Ozon offers no solid answers but focuses but focuses on Marie's stubborn denial of her husband's departure as she resumes her professional and social life as if nothing had happened. While those around her assume she's slipping from sanity, the truth proves considerably less tangible and far more nuanced. A tentative affair with the friend of a friend seems doomed from the start, leading to the shattering final scene, all the more heartbreaking for being open to any number of interpretations, none of them particularly cheerful.
Even though the filmmaker has reigned in his wicked humor and morality-defying shock tactics, this fortunately doesn't mean he has gone all solemn on us. The general lightness of tone might indeed startle in light of the subject matter, plus there's even an astonishingly erotic moment when Marie imagines herself being groped by both husband and lover in an elegant masturbatory fantasy. Ultimately, this is very much Rampling's show and clearly intended as such. Rarely out of frame for more than an instant here, she delivers the type of performance both subtle and sensuous that has been her stock in trade since she started enchanting movie audiences worldwide back in the '60s, her mysterious beauty undiminished (if anything, augmented more like) by the passing years. Contrary to her personal code of conduct (she will rarely work more than once with the same director, always looking for new experiences to further her craft and personal growth), she went on to star in Ozon's deceptively upbeat SWIMMING POOL and took a supporting role in his first failure to date, the atrocious ANGEL.
Middle-aged Marie (luminous Charlotte Rampling making a belated but extremely welcome return to leading roles), an English literature professor at a Parisian university, quite literally loses her husband (hauntingly sad-eyed Bruno Cremer) while on seaside holiday. She takes a nap on the beach as he's out swimming. When she wakes up, he has disappeared. Accidentally or voluntarily drowned ? Hiding perhaps from a stifling marriage ? Ozon offers no solid answers but focuses but focuses on Marie's stubborn denial of her husband's departure as she resumes her professional and social life as if nothing had happened. While those around her assume she's slipping from sanity, the truth proves considerably less tangible and far more nuanced. A tentative affair with the friend of a friend seems doomed from the start, leading to the shattering final scene, all the more heartbreaking for being open to any number of interpretations, none of them particularly cheerful.
Even though the filmmaker has reigned in his wicked humor and morality-defying shock tactics, this fortunately doesn't mean he has gone all solemn on us. The general lightness of tone might indeed startle in light of the subject matter, plus there's even an astonishingly erotic moment when Marie imagines herself being groped by both husband and lover in an elegant masturbatory fantasy. Ultimately, this is very much Rampling's show and clearly intended as such. Rarely out of frame for more than an instant here, she delivers the type of performance both subtle and sensuous that has been her stock in trade since she started enchanting movie audiences worldwide back in the '60s, her mysterious beauty undiminished (if anything, augmented more like) by the passing years. Contrary to her personal code of conduct (she will rarely work more than once with the same director, always looking for new experiences to further her craft and personal growth), she went on to star in Ozon's deceptively upbeat SWIMMING POOL and took a supporting role in his first failure to date, the atrocious ANGEL.
Rampling is Expressive in Very Sad Story
noralee20 December 2005
"Under The Sand (Sous le sable)" is a cross between Bergman/Ullman's "Faithless (Trolösa)," for its humorless look at a middle-aged, comfortable marriage, and "Truly, Madly, Deeply" for how not to deal with an unplanned break-up.
Charlotte Rampling's face and body language are wonderfully expressive, as she alternates between facing reality and basking in fantasy, and in French and English.
While it's always interesting to be a movie tourist inside middle-class Parisian apartments, we don't really get much insight into individuals or relationships.
It's just sad.
(originally written 5/20/2001)
Charlotte Rampling's face and body language are wonderfully expressive, as she alternates between facing reality and basking in fantasy, and in French and English.
While it's always interesting to be a movie tourist inside middle-class Parisian apartments, we don't really get much insight into individuals or relationships.
It's just sad.
(originally written 5/20/2001)
A knockout performance by Charlotte Rampling
bandw24 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
This is a tour de force for Charlotte Rampling - her performance alone makes this worth watching.
Things begin with Marie (Rampling) and her husband Jean (Bruno Cremer) heading out of Paris to their summer home in the country. In following the mundane activities of their trip and first night away we learn quite a bit about them. The rhythms of their married life have long since been grooved. Marie's attachment to Jean is apparent, but Jean's feelings for Marie are less well established and this becomes a relevant plot element.
On the day after their arrival at the summer home the couple go to the beach. While Marie suns herself, Jean goes for a swim and he does not come back. Marie goes through all of the expected reactions - waiting anxiously, calling the police, witnessing the search, and finally giving up. It is here that we move into the deeper waters of the story, as it were. The expressions on Jean's face just prior to his going on the swim sets the tone of ambiguity as to the cause of his vanishing. Was his disappearance an accident, suicide, or willful?
Marie deals with this bewildering situation by entering into a state of denial and this is where Rampling and Ozon boost this movie beyond the ordinary as they subtly trace the gradual chipping away of Marie's illusions. The reaction shots of Marie's seeing an older man swimming in a pool, or receiving a recorded message that a body has been found, are powerful in their understatement. The use of lighting to accentuate Marie's moods is quite effective, like the use of harsh white light when she is in obvious agony.
Rampling is at the top of her form and she completely puts to rest any idea that a woman in her 50s cannot be sexy.
The subtext of how Marie's friends try to deal with her reactions is engaging, making you wonder about the best way to deal with a friend in a state of denial. You want to be supportive, but also want to encourage them to face what you think are the realities of the situation.
Relationships are always more complicated than the participants understand and, as is the case here, a traumatic event can unleash emotions and thoughts previously unexplored. I took the ambiguous ending to personify the hopes, fears, and unknowables in Marie's relationship with Jean, and maybe in all significant relationships.
Things begin with Marie (Rampling) and her husband Jean (Bruno Cremer) heading out of Paris to their summer home in the country. In following the mundane activities of their trip and first night away we learn quite a bit about them. The rhythms of their married life have long since been grooved. Marie's attachment to Jean is apparent, but Jean's feelings for Marie are less well established and this becomes a relevant plot element.
On the day after their arrival at the summer home the couple go to the beach. While Marie suns herself, Jean goes for a swim and he does not come back. Marie goes through all of the expected reactions - waiting anxiously, calling the police, witnessing the search, and finally giving up. It is here that we move into the deeper waters of the story, as it were. The expressions on Jean's face just prior to his going on the swim sets the tone of ambiguity as to the cause of his vanishing. Was his disappearance an accident, suicide, or willful?
Marie deals with this bewildering situation by entering into a state of denial and this is where Rampling and Ozon boost this movie beyond the ordinary as they subtly trace the gradual chipping away of Marie's illusions. The reaction shots of Marie's seeing an older man swimming in a pool, or receiving a recorded message that a body has been found, are powerful in their understatement. The use of lighting to accentuate Marie's moods is quite effective, like the use of harsh white light when she is in obvious agony.
Rampling is at the top of her form and she completely puts to rest any idea that a woman in her 50s cannot be sexy.
The subtext of how Marie's friends try to deal with her reactions is engaging, making you wonder about the best way to deal with a friend in a state of denial. You want to be supportive, but also want to encourage them to face what you think are the realities of the situation.
Relationships are always more complicated than the participants understand and, as is the case here, a traumatic event can unleash emotions and thoughts previously unexplored. I took the ambiguous ending to personify the hopes, fears, and unknowables in Marie's relationship with Jean, and maybe in all significant relationships.
Relaxed and sombre....Ozon, is that you?
The_Void28 April 2005
Unlike the vast majority of the rest of talented French director Francois Ozon's films, Under the Sand features hardly a shocking moment. In fact, the most shocking thing about this movie is the level of restraint present towards the end when Ozon has a clear shot at giving his audience something to go home with, but doesn't capitalise on it. On the whole, Under the Sand is simply a sombre tale of love, fused with tragedy and the implications of loss. The film follows Marie Drillon (Charlotte Rampling), a woman who loses her husband while on holiday. As he has been lost in the sea, Marie has no body to prove that her husband is indeed dead, and so continues her life pretending that he's still around. The film then follows a psychological thriller structure, as we watch our protagonist disintegrate as a result of her loss. Under the Sand is more than just another thriller, however, as Francois Ozon directs it, and his energy and invention always ensure that the film remains interesting.
It's amazing just how relaxed this film is, as just shortly before seeing it I was lucky enough to catch Ozon's "Water Drops on Burning Rocks", and said film is a completely different kettle of fish to this one. There's next to no startling imagery, no impromptu dance sequences and on the whole it just seems like Ozon wanted to make a straight art film. Not that I have a problem with that. The film stars Charlotte Rampling, who would go on to collaborate with Ozon on the bewitching Swimming Pool and is an excellent actress on the whole. Ozon always ensures he gets the best out of her as well, and in this film, as in Swimming Pool, you always get the impression that the bond between actress and director is a happy one and one that both parties are satisfied with. The film's substance draws from it's themes of loss, but the most haunting element of the movie is the idea that love is ever lasting. In today's day and age it seems that it's socially acceptable to cheat on your lover, but this film ardently disagrees with that view. While I don't rate this as one of Ozon's best films, it's definitely a good one and I don't hesitate to recommend it.
It's amazing just how relaxed this film is, as just shortly before seeing it I was lucky enough to catch Ozon's "Water Drops on Burning Rocks", and said film is a completely different kettle of fish to this one. There's next to no startling imagery, no impromptu dance sequences and on the whole it just seems like Ozon wanted to make a straight art film. Not that I have a problem with that. The film stars Charlotte Rampling, who would go on to collaborate with Ozon on the bewitching Swimming Pool and is an excellent actress on the whole. Ozon always ensures he gets the best out of her as well, and in this film, as in Swimming Pool, you always get the impression that the bond between actress and director is a happy one and one that both parties are satisfied with. The film's substance draws from it's themes of loss, but the most haunting element of the movie is the idea that love is ever lasting. In today's day and age it seems that it's socially acceptable to cheat on your lover, but this film ardently disagrees with that view. While I don't rate this as one of Ozon's best films, it's definitely a good one and I don't hesitate to recommend it.
In denial
diand_30 June 2005
Simple story: Husband goes missing after a swim on holiday and his wife is in denial about the situation. The idea here is to tell the story by showing only the outward reactions of all involved. Ozon hereby creates a mystery (is he really dead?, was it a suicide?) but the over-explanatory character spoils all the fun. The walk in the woods, his face before the swim already tell everything, but if that's not enough Virgina Woolf is thrown in (if you dislike reading check out The Hours).
So the rest of the movie we rely on the acting, which is average but not that interesting. We have the almost obligatory love scenes, redundant fantasies and much talk about nothing. Everything is mildly interesting. But one scene stands out: that between Suzanne (Andrée Tainsy, who just passed away) and Marie (Rampling). Andrée Tainsy mixes so many facial emotions in that scene it makes the whole movie worth watching.
Ozon is a very traditional filmmaker who seems to strike a chord with his French audience. But he could have lived thirty years ago and made the same movie. It's almost as if he is in denial of the great French film history. Luckily we still have Jeunet, Besson and a lot of new talent to save the day for the French.
So the rest of the movie we rely on the acting, which is average but not that interesting. We have the almost obligatory love scenes, redundant fantasies and much talk about nothing. Everything is mildly interesting. But one scene stands out: that between Suzanne (Andrée Tainsy, who just passed away) and Marie (Rampling). Andrée Tainsy mixes so many facial emotions in that scene it makes the whole movie worth watching.
Ozon is a very traditional filmmaker who seems to strike a chord with his French audience. But he could have lived thirty years ago and made the same movie. It's almost as if he is in denial of the great French film history. Luckily we still have Jeunet, Besson and a lot of new talent to save the day for the French.
Classy, understated drama
hesketh2715 December 2001
Charlotte Rampling's marvellously judged performance as an Englishwoman whose French husband disappears whilst swimming is quite simply excellent. This is a perfect vehicle for Rampling as she is now, a beautiful mature woman who just oozes class. Without histrionics, she conveys the total sense of desperation at the loss of her husband, something which she will obviously never come to terms with. In terms of plot, this film is quite thin, but it is well worth watching for the central performance, which is thoroughly moving. Could be very bleak and depressing as a subject, but actually isn't at all. The time passed very quickly - my ultimate test of a good film!
OK-Charlotte Rampling is beautiful
Red-12519 May 2020
The French movie Sous le sable was shown in the U.S. with the translated title Under the Sand (2000). It was written and directed by François Ozon.
It stars Charlotte Rampling as Marie Drillon, a loving wife whose husband disappears from the beach, and from her life, suddenly and with no explanation. The remainder of the movie shows us how Marie deals with this bizarre, horrible situation. (Not well, by any definition.)
It's worth noting that Rampling is clearly fluently bilingual. In real life, she was born in England, but educated in France. I have no way of knowing whether or not she speaks French with a strong English accent. In this role, it doesn't matter, because she's English, living in France.
Charlotte Rampling was very beautiful, and it's obvious that director Ozon is absolutely entranced by her beauty. (At one point-in case we missed it-a saleswoman tells Marie that "the dress shows off your figure.") For the entire movie, the camera is directed at Rampling, often with long closeups of her face. (Rampling was 54 at the time, but looked 45.)
This is a film about Charlotte Rampling's beauty. Without Rampling there wouldn't be a movie.
I had mixed feelings about this film. The basic concept of a a woman forced to deal with the disappearance of the husband she loves is interesting. The way Marie copes-or doesn't cope-with the situation is also interesting.
However, I prefer a movie with more actors than just one. The film as Ozon gives it to us depends on us wanting to see Rampling-and essentially only Rampling-in every scene. If she weren't beautiful, would the movie work at all?
We saw this film on DVD, which was fine. After the opening at the beach, most of the action takes place indoors. Under the Sand has an IMDb rating of 7.1. I agree with this, and rated it 7.
It stars Charlotte Rampling as Marie Drillon, a loving wife whose husband disappears from the beach, and from her life, suddenly and with no explanation. The remainder of the movie shows us how Marie deals with this bizarre, horrible situation. (Not well, by any definition.)
It's worth noting that Rampling is clearly fluently bilingual. In real life, she was born in England, but educated in France. I have no way of knowing whether or not she speaks French with a strong English accent. In this role, it doesn't matter, because she's English, living in France.
Charlotte Rampling was very beautiful, and it's obvious that director Ozon is absolutely entranced by her beauty. (At one point-in case we missed it-a saleswoman tells Marie that "the dress shows off your figure.") For the entire movie, the camera is directed at Rampling, often with long closeups of her face. (Rampling was 54 at the time, but looked 45.)
This is a film about Charlotte Rampling's beauty. Without Rampling there wouldn't be a movie.
I had mixed feelings about this film. The basic concept of a a woman forced to deal with the disappearance of the husband she loves is interesting. The way Marie copes-or doesn't cope-with the situation is also interesting.
However, I prefer a movie with more actors than just one. The film as Ozon gives it to us depends on us wanting to see Rampling-and essentially only Rampling-in every scene. If she weren't beautiful, would the movie work at all?
We saw this film on DVD, which was fine. After the opening at the beach, most of the action takes place indoors. Under the Sand has an IMDb rating of 7.1. I agree with this, and rated it 7.
Mental illness as a lifestyle option
schlockingly_true17 August 2001
Mental illness as a lifestyle option seems to be the theme of this work. Very potent in examining the reality and meaning of loss and acceptance (or lack thereof). The always captivating Charlotte, (great to see Dirk Bogarde's little girl all growed up) looking elegant as a woman of a certain age in a very Anglo-Parisian sheath dress-wearing kind of way, is wonderful in her ability to convey contained confusion struggling to make sense of a pain too great to bear. Also noteworthy, stylistically, is a rare instance of unease being effectively evoked in spite of sunlit sets and daytime outdoor shots. No doom and gloom here, she gets to suffer in the light of day. A film that will remain with the moviegoer long after viewing because of its painful emotions and its visually powerful final shot.
A pensive, understated drama
I_Ailurophile3 June 2023
Though not all her films are equal, Charlotte Rampling can always be relied upon for a solid performance of controlled poise and nuance. That seems especially important here in the portrait of a woman struggling to come to terms with the disappearance of her husband, not least as there's no great dramatic push and the storytelling is kept subdued with minimal, subtle progression for the character. Rampling largely carries the picture all by herself, though this is hardly to count out her co-stars, Francois Ozon's direction, or the screenplay he conjured with Emmanuèle Bernheim. I think it's safe to say, however, that Rampling marks the chief strength of 'Sous le sable,' which speaks very well to her skills as an actor, while also reflecting on the writing that fashioned a feature so prominently centering her.
Pointedly understated and thusly focused, this comes across in some measure as a psychological drama. Such a tack requires a delicate hand to succeed, and to Ozon's credit I think it largely does. There's no singular stroke of brilliance, and at no time does the movie strike a major chord - but then, nor is it intended to, for this is a title of the much more soft and ruminative side of cinema. Ozon, Bernheim, and Rampling give us a sidelong exploration of grief, and uncertainty teetering between acceptance and denial nearly to the point of madness. That 'Sous le sable' never tips over and lends itself to emphatic profundity is a deliberate choice, and one that may come off as admirable or regrettable depending on one's perspective; in my mind, it works well for what was being crafted in this instance.
This is well made in all other regards, including costume design, hair, and makeup. I appreciate Antoine Héberlé and Jeanne Lapoirie's mindful cinematography; Philippe Rombi's original music lends to the gentle but notably pensive atmosphere across these ninety-five minutes. Given the low-key tone this won't appeal to all comers, and it's certainly suggested above all for fans of Rampling. Yet anyone who is receptive to the quietly dramatic side of the medium will find this capably engrossing and satisfying, and surely rewarding. I don't think it entirely matches my expectations only insofar as there could have been a more definite progression written for Marie, but that's just my opinion, and even at that I had enjoyed watching. 'Sous le sable' isn't necessarily something one needs to go out of their way to see, but if you do have the chance to watch, it's worth checking out.
Pointedly understated and thusly focused, this comes across in some measure as a psychological drama. Such a tack requires a delicate hand to succeed, and to Ozon's credit I think it largely does. There's no singular stroke of brilliance, and at no time does the movie strike a major chord - but then, nor is it intended to, for this is a title of the much more soft and ruminative side of cinema. Ozon, Bernheim, and Rampling give us a sidelong exploration of grief, and uncertainty teetering between acceptance and denial nearly to the point of madness. That 'Sous le sable' never tips over and lends itself to emphatic profundity is a deliberate choice, and one that may come off as admirable or regrettable depending on one's perspective; in my mind, it works well for what was being crafted in this instance.
This is well made in all other regards, including costume design, hair, and makeup. I appreciate Antoine Héberlé and Jeanne Lapoirie's mindful cinematography; Philippe Rombi's original music lends to the gentle but notably pensive atmosphere across these ninety-five minutes. Given the low-key tone this won't appeal to all comers, and it's certainly suggested above all for fans of Rampling. Yet anyone who is receptive to the quietly dramatic side of the medium will find this capably engrossing and satisfying, and surely rewarding. I don't think it entirely matches my expectations only insofar as there could have been a more definite progression written for Marie, but that's just my opinion, and even at that I had enjoyed watching. 'Sous le sable' isn't necessarily something one needs to go out of their way to see, but if you do have the chance to watch, it's worth checking out.
The universal made deeply personal.
DAHLRUSSELL11 March 2007
This is a mature, thoughtful study of the games we play with ourselves to make it through the day; a walk through loss and denial. The acting is simple and superb throughout.
Rampling gets deserved praise for this role, but Bruno Cremer as her husband has perhaps the most difficult role to tread, it's a fine line done marvelously.
Ozon is one of my favorite Directors. His work is always thought provoking, risky, and willing to explore the dark corners to bring fullness to the life of his characters. Some of Ozon's work is bright and campy. His other mode is quiet and serious. This is one of his most serious, and one of the best.
Rampling gets deserved praise for this role, but Bruno Cremer as her husband has perhaps the most difficult role to tread, it's a fine line done marvelously.
Ozon is one of my favorite Directors. His work is always thought provoking, risky, and willing to explore the dark corners to bring fullness to the life of his characters. Some of Ozon's work is bright and campy. His other mode is quiet and serious. This is one of his most serious, and one of the best.
The best work of Ms Rampling
JuguAbraham8 March 2020
As a film script writer and director, Ozon has evolved and matured in "The Swimming Pool" and "In the house," developing his pet themes involving sex lives and mental infirmities. But the the real value of this film will remain Ms Rampling's performance which is comparable to her turns in "The Night Porter, " "The Damned," and "Hannah." She is evidently magical whenever she works with Ozon.
Slipping away like sand
ilovesaturdays7 June 2021
Mr. Ozon seems to understand a woman's pysche pretty well. This movie shows the impact of disappearance of a loved one suddenly & without any sense of closure. The bereaved wife, Marie (played perfectly by the gorgeous Ms. Rampling) seems to be doing alright on the surface except for a few comments at a get together which make the viewers feel that she is having a hard time talking about her husband in past tense. We are a bit alarmed but that's the extent of it. However, when she returns to her home, we realize the utter & extreme denial that fills every aspect of her life! It is horrifying & saddening. That a beautiful, intelligent woman can have such a reaction is a clear reminder to us of humanity's fragility & vulnerability when it comes to love. Losing a loved one is never easy. However, since humans are rational beings, it becomes much harder to come to terms with such a great loss in the absence of any plausible reason. So, not knowing exactly what happened to her husband was perhaps the biggest source of grief for Marie.
This is a very sincere look into the mind of a woman who seems to have lost a part of herself with the loss of her spouse. But I struggled with understanding the two men in Marie's life. Her husband's intentions were never fully revealed & I'm kind of okay with that because that's the point of the story. However, the one that I really have a problem with is Vincent. Why this charming & intelligent man got involved with Marie when she was not in a good place mentally is beyond me!
This movie has brought an epiphany to me. We must always consider the possibility that even though we may be perfectly happy & content with someone, things may not be so good for them. And when we love that someone, it may become extremely hard for us to let go or even to understand how they could be unhappy in such a fulfilling relationship. But such is human nature. Sometimes, having been in long relationships, people evolve in different directions such that one partner may be very happy with the routine stuff while the other may be getting suffocated. One man's medicine is another man's poison, after all! And so, it may happen that one fine day, our loved one may want to walk out on us & while it may hurt us, it might be their only salvation! We also need to consider the fact that some people may just be depressed & at that point, it is pretty much out of our hands. All we can do in such circumstances is to be supportive & hope for the best.
Lastly, this is one of those movies where you cannot have a spoiler in a review because the ending scene is open to everyone's personal interpretation & for that, you need to see it yourself!
This is a very sincere look into the mind of a woman who seems to have lost a part of herself with the loss of her spouse. But I struggled with understanding the two men in Marie's life. Her husband's intentions were never fully revealed & I'm kind of okay with that because that's the point of the story. However, the one that I really have a problem with is Vincent. Why this charming & intelligent man got involved with Marie when she was not in a good place mentally is beyond me!
This movie has brought an epiphany to me. We must always consider the possibility that even though we may be perfectly happy & content with someone, things may not be so good for them. And when we love that someone, it may become extremely hard for us to let go or even to understand how they could be unhappy in such a fulfilling relationship. But such is human nature. Sometimes, having been in long relationships, people evolve in different directions such that one partner may be very happy with the routine stuff while the other may be getting suffocated. One man's medicine is another man's poison, after all! And so, it may happen that one fine day, our loved one may want to walk out on us & while it may hurt us, it might be their only salvation! We also need to consider the fact that some people may just be depressed & at that point, it is pretty much out of our hands. All we can do in such circumstances is to be supportive & hope for the best.
Lastly, this is one of those movies where you cannot have a spoiler in a review because the ending scene is open to everyone's personal interpretation & for that, you need to see it yourself!
Tedious, bland, excellent
=G=24 May 2003
"Under the Sand" follows a woman who is in denial over the disappearance of her husband. Rampling delivers a splendid performance (no stretching) as the film plods along slowly lingering over the smallest details of her life revealing her desperate grief one fragment at a time while even showing her in the company of her dead husband; an apparent representation of delusion. For those interested in a microscopic examination of one woman's grief, this film may have merit. For just about everyone else, it will be too tedious and lacking in sheer entertainment value. (B)
Grief on an Empty Beach
nycritic16 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Losing a loved partner one has lived with for years can be a devastating thing to cope with, but not really knowing if he is dead or alive -- or worse, going into denial that he has died -- can lead a person right into the edge of the abyss. Such a thing should never happen to anyone, but it does to Charlotte Rampling's Marie Drillon, a university professor who is happily married to Jean Drillon (Bruno Cremer in a near-silent performance). The opening ten minutes describes everything one needs to know about them: their dynamics, their love for each other unquestioned, quiet, but as potent as a garden filled with the scent of roses and lavender.
On a trip to the beach, Marie drifts into sleep as Jean decides to take a swim. When she awakes, she misses him and thinks he's within the area. Unfortunately, he is not... and the more she looks for him the less likely it is that he is alive. A search brings forth little comfort, and she if left from there on in limbo, wondering where Jean may be, if he is alive, or dead.
Her behavior from then on becomes increasingly erratic, which is an indicative of what happens to a person who's become so attached to another and the horror that slowly arises to the surface when those ties are suddenly, irrationally severed. She catches a glimpse of a young college student and is suddenly unable to continue giving a lecture; she seems a little off at a dinner party; she has gone on a spending spree (buying a new shirt and tie for Jean) despite the fact that her account is overdrawn and due to Jean's disappearance she has no access to his funds (which leaves her in a predicament as to how will she survive). Above all, she is acting as though Jean is still alive and well.
A particularly disturbing moment arrives when Marie decides to embark on an affair with another man who comes into her life: Vincent (Jacques Nolot) which establishes that maybe reality for her has finally cracked. Vincent and Marie begin making love, seen mainly through the motion of their hands... and then Jean's hands come into the left of the screen, identified through the blue shirt she bought him. It continues in perfect silence, with only her moans barely overheard. A later sequence has this odd threesome repeated as Jean observes her and Vincent making love from a distance.
In many ways, UNDER THE SAND has the elements of a thriller. A disappearance, the search, and the inevitable revelation as to what exactly happened. However, when a person is so deep in denial, those things matter little, if at all. Marie receives the crucial call from the morgue and decides to ignore the message left. She seems unable, unwilling, to face what has happened, and one of the more heartbreaking scenes of her anguish take place in a small montage where she is seen alone, sitting on a subway station, then riding the train, looking forlorn and empty.
Charlotte Rampling makes this her movie all the way. She's on screen at all times, and her performance is reminiscent of the one Juliette Binoche gave in BLUE. As a matter of fact, Binoche herself might have been the better choice, but Rampling is outstanding in her willingness to portray a woman in intense pain, suffering and coming apart from the inside out, desperate for answers but equally closed to them. Her disconsolate weeping at the end is an emotional tour-de-force wrenching itself out from its restraints, and that final scene on the beach as she runs towards the enigmatic, ghostly image of a man she believes to be her husband (whom she seemingly cannot reach) packs a devastating blow to the senses. A powerful masterpiece from the hands of Francois Ozon.
On a trip to the beach, Marie drifts into sleep as Jean decides to take a swim. When she awakes, she misses him and thinks he's within the area. Unfortunately, he is not... and the more she looks for him the less likely it is that he is alive. A search brings forth little comfort, and she if left from there on in limbo, wondering where Jean may be, if he is alive, or dead.
Her behavior from then on becomes increasingly erratic, which is an indicative of what happens to a person who's become so attached to another and the horror that slowly arises to the surface when those ties are suddenly, irrationally severed. She catches a glimpse of a young college student and is suddenly unable to continue giving a lecture; she seems a little off at a dinner party; she has gone on a spending spree (buying a new shirt and tie for Jean) despite the fact that her account is overdrawn and due to Jean's disappearance she has no access to his funds (which leaves her in a predicament as to how will she survive). Above all, she is acting as though Jean is still alive and well.
A particularly disturbing moment arrives when Marie decides to embark on an affair with another man who comes into her life: Vincent (Jacques Nolot) which establishes that maybe reality for her has finally cracked. Vincent and Marie begin making love, seen mainly through the motion of their hands... and then Jean's hands come into the left of the screen, identified through the blue shirt she bought him. It continues in perfect silence, with only her moans barely overheard. A later sequence has this odd threesome repeated as Jean observes her and Vincent making love from a distance.
In many ways, UNDER THE SAND has the elements of a thriller. A disappearance, the search, and the inevitable revelation as to what exactly happened. However, when a person is so deep in denial, those things matter little, if at all. Marie receives the crucial call from the morgue and decides to ignore the message left. She seems unable, unwilling, to face what has happened, and one of the more heartbreaking scenes of her anguish take place in a small montage where she is seen alone, sitting on a subway station, then riding the train, looking forlorn and empty.
Charlotte Rampling makes this her movie all the way. She's on screen at all times, and her performance is reminiscent of the one Juliette Binoche gave in BLUE. As a matter of fact, Binoche herself might have been the better choice, but Rampling is outstanding in her willingness to portray a woman in intense pain, suffering and coming apart from the inside out, desperate for answers but equally closed to them. Her disconsolate weeping at the end is an emotional tour-de-force wrenching itself out from its restraints, and that final scene on the beach as she runs towards the enigmatic, ghostly image of a man she believes to be her husband (whom she seemingly cannot reach) packs a devastating blow to the senses. A powerful masterpiece from the hands of Francois Ozon.
Not Up To Par
MeanderingMegan3 August 2002
I bought this film on DVD after hearing that it was Charlotte Rampling's best role/work since The Night Porter and having always been a big fan of hers, I promptly went out and bought the DVD. Needless to say, I was quite disappointed. While Rampling is great in it (when is she not?), the movie itself just didn't stand up. I kept finding myself saying, "What's the point?" Not a good thing to find yourself doing in the midst of viewing a film. I blame this not on the actors but rather on the director. Where was his sense of direction when he made this film. Was he just so happy to have Rampling that he came up with the story as he went along or what? This is not a movie that I would recommend unless you're just killing time watching cable - even then, better to just pick up a book. That being said, I hope to see Rampling again in something else soon. She is unique, one of a kind and always a pleasure to watch.
One of the lesser foreign films I have seen recently
Quinoa198421 June 2001
Under the Sand tells of a middle aged married woman (Charlotte Rampling) who's husband is mysteriously lost at a beach. OK, fine start-up for a film possibly about how her husband vanished (this is slightly brought up in the third act) or with her trying to cope with the loss.
After the husband's missing scene, the film does something that urked me. It jumps to the wife now back at home, but it doesn't tell whether it is before the vacation or after (it is mainly her seeing the husband that had me confused). After I figured out that Rampling was at home after the vacation, it was clear that she was dilusional in that she thought her husband was alive (even after she hears from the police that he's dead she's still a little crazy) going to the stretch that if she sleeps with someone else she is cheating on him.
While Rampling was often good, the film itself was confusing most of the time and when I found out what the plot was suppossed to be, the payoff was very miniscule for this type of movie. It tries, to be sure, but it just doesn't succeed in convincing, and that is the film's big part. Oh well. One more note that is another pet peeve, if only for myself: the unecessary form of going back and forth to English and French within a simple conversation for no good reason. That's what Truffaut, and recent films like With a Friend Like Harry and Dreamlife of Angels know from the start- stick to one language unless it's totally reasonable to swicth briefly (that is the only big liability in the classic Last Tango in Paris, by the way). C+
After the husband's missing scene, the film does something that urked me. It jumps to the wife now back at home, but it doesn't tell whether it is before the vacation or after (it is mainly her seeing the husband that had me confused). After I figured out that Rampling was at home after the vacation, it was clear that she was dilusional in that she thought her husband was alive (even after she hears from the police that he's dead she's still a little crazy) going to the stretch that if she sleeps with someone else she is cheating on him.
While Rampling was often good, the film itself was confusing most of the time and when I found out what the plot was suppossed to be, the payoff was very miniscule for this type of movie. It tries, to be sure, but it just doesn't succeed in convincing, and that is the film's big part. Oh well. One more note that is another pet peeve, if only for myself: the unecessary form of going back and forth to English and French within a simple conversation for no good reason. That's what Truffaut, and recent films like With a Friend Like Harry and Dreamlife of Angels know from the start- stick to one language unless it's totally reasonable to swicth briefly (that is the only big liability in the classic Last Tango in Paris, by the way). C+
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
