And with the warmth and humanity British actress Charlotte Rampling brings to the role, it's devastating. Marie, an English professor in Paris, and longtime husband Jean drive to their country house for their annual summer vacation. After a quarter-century together, the passion is pretty much gone, though the love endures. When she awakes, she can't find him.
Lifeguards search the water and find nothing.
Eventually, Marie realizes she must return to Paris and a life of uncertainty. She works out at the gym, teaches class and has dinner with friends, without knowing what happened to her husband. But all the while, she lives as if Jean is still with her, maintaining the marital routine. And the heartrending beauty of writer-director Francois Ozon's script is in the small details. She pours Jean a cup of coffee and butters his toast in the morning, whispers good night to him before turning out the light and going to sleep.