Universal acclaim - based on 24 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 24 out of 24
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 24
  3. Negative: 0 out of 24
  1. 88
    A movie of introspection and defiance.
  2. 90
    It's a role of fierce demands, and Rampling meets them all. In a summer of crass, Rampling is a true class act.
  3. Ozon specializes in dissecting the vulnerability, erotic longing, and garbled intentions with which people regularly rub up against one another.
  4. Ozon has crafted a near-perfect film, a mournful, moving kind of cinema poetry.
  5. 100
    It's a great pleasure that -- we get to ponder one of the most involving psychological mysteries in recent memory.
  6. 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.
  7. Manages the most delicate of hat tricks: It gives definition to uncertainty.
  8. Charlotte Rampling takes you so far inside the pain of Marie Drillon it leaves you stirred, shaken and a little in awe.
  9. Mr. Ozon gives the movie to Ms. Rampling, whose performance is like a perfectly executed piano etude, finding precise, impossibly subtle shadings of pleasure, confusion and distress.
  10. 90
    Powerfully enigmatic study of the fundamental opacity of human relations.
  11. Reviewed by: Derek Elley
    An exquisite reflection on personal bereavement.
  12. Fascinating, visually gorgeous cinematic study that will frustrate some viewers by its ambiguity.
  13. 100
    Ozon -- has finally hit a home run, and Rampling is his most remarkable RBI.
  14. Reviewed by: Loren King
    Mesmerizing and unforgettable.
User Score

Universal acclaim- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 0 out of 8
  1. DavidR.
    Dec 23, 2006
    This is amongst the best of French Cinema. Charlotte rampling gives an exquisite performance of a lover in denial. Worth watching more than once.
  2. JohnG
    Nov 11, 2005
    Beautifully introspective and subtle. Under The Sand tells the poignant but sad story of a woman struggling to cope with the sudden disappearance of her beloved husband. This film quietly studies the effects of lost love. Full Review »