a review of 沙之下

I thought Sous le Sable was very reminiscent of Trois Couleurs: Bleu (1993): a charming française in the lead role, grieving over her lost husband, and more similarities, such as the conversation with the mother in the retirement home, and the fixation on the female main character. Charlotte Rampling's performance was solid, but just like in Trois Couleurs: Bleu, everything felt emotionally detached to me. I just witnessed the events unfold, but didn't feel involved. Similar to Trois Couleurs: Bleu, there was no real character buildup of the lost husband, which would have helped to identify with the widow's emotions. My three-star rating is mainly for Charlotte Rampling's performance, I found the rest of the film reasonably meagre.