Review of Rust and Bone (2012) by Glenn G — 29 Nov 2012

Jacques Audiard demonstrated in his previous film, the killer UN PROPHET, that he likes his redemption tales with a twist of grit. RUST AND BONE continues in that tradition albeit on a less epic scale. Here we have an intimate tale of a single father, Ali, (Matthias Schoenaerts) who starts up a relationship with a whale trainer (Academy Award Winner, Marion Cotillard), who loses her legs in a tragic accident. From the looks of it, it sounded like the story of two people fumbling badly as they try to rebuild their lives.

Instead, this is really Schoenaerts' story. I have to admit to being a little disappointed by this. Marion Cotillard is one of the most blazingly talented actors alive, and with every appearance she makes, I want to see the juice in the scripts that attract her. On the surface, her Stephanie is just such a role. Going from club girl Sea World trainer to paraplegic feels like an Oscar-worthy choice, but she's really given very little to work with here. There's just a barely sketched in backstory and her eventual transformation is mostly shown on her face. Granted, her work here is still fantastic. The tiniest of gestures speak volumes, but it's strange to say that this is a French film with very little talk, and it comes across just a tad shallow and underwritten. Despite this, Cotillard has one of the most magical moments in film this year when she reunites with the whale who caused her so much suffering. It's so breathtaking, the film is worth seeing for this alone. She also manages to make you empathize for her as she recalls her whale training techniques with a Katy Perry song playing in the the background. Now THAT'S acting!

Schoenaerts initially made his mark in last year's Foreign Film nominee, BULLHEAD. RUST AND BONE should help catapult him to international stardom. He is easily the next Michael Fassbender/Tom Hardy if there ever was one. Bulking up considerably for his role here as a streetfighter, Schoenaerts manages to make this irresponsibly absent Dad, sex pig of a guy pretty sympathetic. You see it in the way he carries a legless Cotillard into the water, or in the sad desperation he exhibits as he forages through a train for food. At the screening I attended, he appeared and was almost completely unrecognizable, having lost all of the weight from the film. He's thin, handsome and obviously ready to replace Daniel Craig as Bond or pull off an X-Men character and become the biggest star to come out of Belgium since Jean Claude Van Damme. Mark my words, this is a future superstar with the deep acting chops to back it up.

Also providing wonderful work is Corinne Masiero as Schoenaerts' sister Anna. A slow burn of a performance, she's wonderfully awkward around her troubled brother until she finally erupts in a terrific and despairing scene. If only the film had given our two leads such a fantastic moment. Armand Verdure as Ali's son Sam is natural and memorable and tears you up a little in a third act surprise.

Technical aspects are well-realized and appropriately naturalistic. Cinematographer, Stephane Fontaine, keeps the camera work urgent and laser focused on his stars. Some of the shallow focus photography is terrific, especially during the moments after Cotillard's accident.

For me, the key to making a better film out of this is in the title. In French, it's DE ROUILLE ET D'OS, which means OF RUST AND BONE. It's an important distinction. Our main characters are equal parts decayed and strong. We could have benefited from digging deeper into what makes up these souls. It's a good, evocative if not especially powerful film. Strangely, by downplaying the obvious melodrama in the story, Audiard has kept this film from being the powerhouse it could have been.