Living in Denial, Head in the ‘Sand’

At the start of Francois Ozon’s astute and penetrating “Under the Sand,” an affluent, sophisticated Parisian couple, Marie and Jean Drillon (Charlotte Rampling and Bruno Cremer), are in their elegant apartment packing for a vacation. Soon they are on their way to the Landes region of southwestern France, where they will be staying in a spacious residence, not far from a splendid beach. They swiftly settle in and head for the beach the next day.

This opening sequence proceeds with a smoothness appropriate to a couple happily married for 25 years. There is warmth, ease and consideration in their every move and gesture; they are supremely comfortable with each other, and it is a pleasure to be in their company. They are a study in contrasts in appearance. English-born Marie, a university lecturer in English literature, is agelessly, strikingly beautiful, somewhere in her 40s or early 50s, a onetime competition swimmer who works out regularly at the gym. Jean is at least 15 years older, homely and overweight but possessed of a quietly commanding masculine presence.

At the beach the next day, Jean tells Marie he’s going into the water, and she, caught up in a book, declines to join him. Wrapped up in her reading for quite some time, Marie suddenly realizes it’s been awhile since she’s seen Jean. Shockingly, he has disappeared, and all indications are that he has drowned.

“Under the Sand” becomes a portrait in denial, affording Rampling--seen opposite Stellan Skarsgaard just recently in the remarkable “Signs and Wonders”--a role rich in challenges. It is impossible to watch this fine, provocative film and not be reminded that European actresses such as Rampling and Catherine Deneuve continue to get roles that comparable American actresses such as Meryl Streep and Jessica Lange could never hope to land in today’s Hollywood.

Marie is so stunned by Jean’s disappearance that she refuses to accept it, speaking of her husband in the presence tense. Her best friend and colleague, Amanda (Alexandra Stewart), while not aware of the full measure of her denial, advises therapy and in time even puts her together with a publisher, Vincent (Jacques Nolot), who is charming, nice-looking, single and swiftly adoring. Meanwhile, Amanda’s husband, Gerard (Pierre Vernier), who is also the Drillons’ attorney, warns Marie to curb her spending because Jean’s assets, should he not be found, will be frozen for 10 years.

Marie cannot escape such reminders of her husband’s absence, which intensify her denial. Her most unsettling visit is with her far from cordial mother-in-law Suzanne (Andree Tainsy), who may be in denial herself but has a joltingly unexpected view of Marie and her son’s marriage.

All the while, Ozon has been imperceptibly building to a climax that assumes dimensions impossible to predict. Ozon reveals fragility and vulnerability underlying seemingly secure and solid bourgeois appearances--a quality that characterizes all of his films, from his acclaimed shorts “See the Sea” and “A Summer Dress” through the features “Sitcom,” “Criminal Lovers” and “Water Drops on Burning Rocks.” “Under the Sand” requires careful attention at its abrupt finish. Close concentration on the final shots yields a meaning not possible should a viewer’s attention wander or turn away a few moments too soon.

* Unrated. Times guidelines: adult themes and situations; some sexuality.

“Under the Sand”

(“Sous le Sable”)

Charlotte Rampling: Marie Drillon

Bruno Cremer: Jean Drillon

Jacques Nolot: Vincent

Alexandra Stewart: Amanda

Pierre Vernier: Gerard

Andree Tainsy: Suzanne Drillon

A Winstar Cinema release. Director Francois Ozon. Producers Olivier Delbosc. Screenplay by Ozon, with the collaboration of Emmanuele Bernheim, Marina de Van and Marcia Romano. Cinematographers Jeanne Lapoirie, Antoine Heberle. Editor Laurence Bawedin. Music Philippe Rombi. Costumes Pascaline Chavanne. Art director Sandrine Canaux. In French, with English subtitles. Running time: 1 hour, 35 minutes.

At selected theaters.