Review of Rust and Bone (2012) by Marc R — 22 Jan 2013

"Rust and Bone" starts with Ali(Matthias Schoenaerts) traveling with his five year old son Sam(Armand Verdure) via thumb and train, where Ali scrounges together a small feast for them, to stay with Ali's sister Anna(Corinne Masiero). That's the easy part as Ali now has to get a job with his spotty resume. One item that does come in handy is his former boxing career which gets him a job as a bouncer at a nightclub where Stephanie(Marion Cotillard), a killer whale trainer, gets into a fight. After which, he gives her a ride home. All of which is shortly before she gets into a workplace accident and has both legs amputated beneath the knee.

Once you get beyond the rampaging killer whale(this would never have happened if Richard Harris was still alive), hot, sweaty sex and bloody donnybrooks, there is really nothing here that we have not seen before, even with the glimpses into the lives of people living on the margins. While "Rust and Bone" could be said to be about healing(if Jacques Audiard's previous "A Prophet" was about the soul, then maybe this is about the body), it seems like Stephanie and Ali have it relatively easy, as she pleads guilty to the diminished charge of aggravated narcissism while Ali's carelessness could be explained by his never having had to take care of anybody else before and now must consider the repercussions of his actions.(Since no mention is made of Ali and Anna's parents, one could surmise they have been on their own since a very young age.).

While I can think of little of positive substance to say about "Rust and Bone," my only hard complaint is wondering why Stephanie, under the influence of self-pity and painkillers, did call Ali, outside of maybe drunk dialing, since he had previously insulted her by, to be polite, attacking her amateur status. Shortly afterwards, it turns out that he is exactly what she needs and it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship which is more than a little convenient.