This charming sober film from French filmmaker Ozon poses the questions of loss and denial, sexuality, and the many ways that we deal with grief. When we grow to know someone all our lives, how do we function when our conditions have changed? And in what ways do we compensate to fill the voids and human touch that we linger for?<br /><br />The story is simple enough, but the meditations are complex and intricate. Marie and her husband are on holiday in the picturesque south-west of France when at a deserted beach, the husband goes for a swim but never returns. The extensive majority of the film is concerned with Marie's perception of her world after her husband mysterious disappearance and her reflections on sexuality and ageing.<br /><br />This is a fine film. In tradition with the French school of film-making, there are many quiet, meditative scenes; moments where Rampling's character glides through ornately furnished rooms and houses of her affluent companions who offer support and counsel. The sparse dialogue creates an introspective and reflective film - totally refreshing and mature in the demands on the audience.<br /><br />The city streets of the Landes region and the associated beaches are serenely photographed. It is truly beautiful to watch. Add Ozon's exceptional direction that heighten the loneliness and regret enforced by Rampling and the film is a treat for the senses.<br /><br />Rampling's performance deserves a special mention. She carries the entire film for the duration. She is a sensual, sexy, sophisticated and fully-developed female. Her acting is minimal but it works to great effect. She is able to communicate her feelings of denial, regret, giddiness and womanhood with sometimes no dialogue, realistically playing Marie with the constraints of society's norms but tempted to break free and unleash her feelings and guilt buried under the sand. This is one of the great film performances.<br /><br />This was so refreshing and beautiful to watch, a treat to be engulfed in picturesque Landes for a while. It was a truthful and honest portrayal of how we cope with loss; when we are so used to living our lives, taking our loves for granted. Ozon and Rampling were both stunning, sensual and reeled me into their world. By the film's end I was reluctant to leave her world of memories and regret, and I drifted of listening to the credits as long as I could. I wanted to continue listening to the crash of the waves, the peaceful tides pulling me under the sand.