Review of Rust and Bone (2012) by Dawdlingpoet — 24 Nov 2021

This is a drama film, with a strong element of romance present (its more of a drama than a romantic drama as such, if you know what I mean - its certainly not a regular 'chick flick' style film). Themes covered include anger, pride and survival.

I thought it was quite a gritty film, relatively dark and sober in tone. I found during one of the key scenes, it was a bit confusing in terms of precisely what happened, due to the camera angles used - it certainly heightened the sense of panic and confusion but im not sure if thats ultimately a good thing. Perhaps it would have been a bit too (overly) gory or gruesome had more specific detail been shown visually but the way the attack/accident is depicted, its clear to have been a very frenzied and seemingly sudden and unexpected occurence. I felt it was relatively haunting at times, with slightly chilling, low key/low tempo instrumentals played as we see Stephanie slowly begin to adjust to her new found situation. I thought the plot was quite intriguing - it certainly isn't a typical, predictable type of film. There is, certainly at the start of the film, relatively little in the way of dialogue, which some may like given that its a French film and so we have to read subtitles to follow it fully (unless, of course, you speak/understand French). There is an element of mystery about it too, I suppose you could say but then people who prefer fast paced, special effects laden films may be disappointed, as this film does have a quite slow plot pace overall. I also noticed that, camerawork wise, there are a fair few jerky shots which seemed a little unnecessary at the time, although these aren't always during key scenes.

It seemed, to me, like it was trying to bring across some pretty big themes, during the course of the film. I say that as the start seems, both visually and otherwise, quite dark and surprisingly the lighting and scenery featured after the accident becomes much brighter and sunnier. I'm not entirely sure if its fair to interpret that too deeply but it is something I definitely picked up on.

Cast wise, Marion Cotillard plays Stephanie, while Alain is played by Matthias Schoenaerts. I liked Cotillard in this role - she gave a real sense of (ironically) freedom in the way she is, which is ironic given her circumstance. She comes across as quite clued up, quite appreciative and I thought it made for quite a refreshing performance. Armand Verdure plays Alains son, Sam, who seems quite a sensitive soul, rather juvenile and yet unsure about certain things - there's definitely a parental love shown, although it does become strained as the plot develops. Other cast members include Celine Salette as Louise, Corinne Masiero as Anna and Bouli Lanners as Martial.

Content wise, the film contains some strong language and a few sex scenes, although their mostly dimly lit and there's little in the way of explicit (full frontal) nudity, with partial nudity being shown. Some fights are depicted and there are instances where blood is shown, which could upset some. There is little in the way of graphic violence. Due to this content, the film was given a 15 rating.

I thought the dialogue was quite good - there are some interesting coversations, some fairly thoughtful ones, as well as some more throwaway comments. It is somewhat hard hitting, as I say being fairly gritty but I thought it was quite a well made film, with the sex scenes not appearing overly unnecessarily gratuitous. It won't suit everyone but it features a good performance from Cotillard and I thought it was a generally well made film, if a bit unsettling (although I can't quite put my finger on exactly why).

As mentioned before, I thought this was quite a well made film. Its relatively gritty and dark but it also has a sense of hopefulness and features a good performance from Marion Cotillard. If you don't like slow paced films or films with subtitles then this won't be for you but otherwise, I'd recommend it.