Review of Rust and Bone (2012) by Chris M — 13 Jan 2013

I really loved this film, though it may not be for everybody. It's full of contradictions. Impressive cinematography and production design infuses the French Riviera location with a very unglamorous decay (as implied by the title).

Marion Cotillard's performance as Stephanie, a Seaworld-style orca trainer who loses her legs in a brutal workplace accident is wonderfully understated, as is that of Matthias Schoenaerts as her impoverished rough-trade lover.

Schoenaerts has the less sympathetic role, but beautifully conveys the contradictory nature of Ali, young father, back-alley boxer and blunt-talking pragmatist. Accusations (from some critics) of melodrama are unfair, though the events of the plot are slightly preposterous and the ending conventional.

The layers of symbolism in Stephanie and Ali's unfolding relationship kept my interest right to the very end, and afterward.