See the Sea

Sasha (Sasha Hails), a young English woman, goes on holiday with baby daughter in tow to her husband’s remote coastal cottage, while the latter is detained in Paris on business. The tranquility of her vacation is disturbed by the arrival of Tatiana (Marina De Van), a wayward backpacker who asks if she can set up her tent in the garden. Initially hesitant, Sasha agrees and an exciting yet disturbing relationship develops.

François Ozon’s medium length feature is a triumph and signals the director’s successful career ahead.

The filmmaker displays his ability to infuse dramatic tension and psychological torment into seemingly mundane situations, as the dynamic between the two leads twists and turns through a labyrinth of feeling. Beneath the surface of events, the spectator is disconcerted by a simmering disquiet. The motives of both women are called into question and are skillfully kept unfathomable.
This is Ozon’s ode to Bergman’s Persona, with two women from polar walks of life isolated by the seaside, flirting with fantasies of desire and identity. Indeed, Ozon would develop this effective motif in his subsequent feature Swimming Pool, where Charlotte Rampling and Ludivine Sagnier play the sparring women secluded in a holiday setting.

See the Sea is an enthralling work deftly made by a director who marks his territory here as a master of films which marry human drama with psychological thriller.