Rated
R (Strong Sexual Content, Brief Graphic Nudity, Some Violence and Language)
Running
Time: 2 hours & 2 Minutes
Cast-
Marion
Cotillard-Stéphanie
Matthias
Schoenaerts-Alain 'Ali' van Versch
Armand
Verdure-Sam
Corinne
Masiero-Anna
Jean-Michel
Correia-Richard
Bouli
Lanners-Martial
Yannick
Choirat-Simon
Céline
Sallette-Louise
Mourad
Frarema-Foued
Directed
by Jacques Audiard
 |
| Marion Cotillard delivers a powerful performance full of raw emotion in Jacques Audiard's latest film, "Rust and Bone." |
The
recent tragedy in the Sandy Hook village of Newtown, Connecticut serves as a
reminder of how fragile life can be. You could be alive one day and gone the
next yet the one thing you shouldn't
do, no matter how hard it gets, is despair. Physical and emotional trauma is
part of living but how you deal with
these traumas is what defines you as
a person. This is "Rust and Bone" in a nutshell, the latest film from
French director Jacques Audiard starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias
Schoenaerts. Making his debut in 1994 with "See How They Fall,"
Audiard is one of Europe's most critically-acclaimed directors, a reputation he
solidified with 2009's prison melodrama "A Prophet" (97% on Rotten
Tomatoes). This is my first exposure to Audiard's work and what initially drew
me toward "Rust and Bone" was the intriguing premise; the fact that
Cotillard also starred in the film was a big plus, as she is one of my favorite
actresses. Despite its unconvincing love story and clichéd happy ending,
"Rust and Bone" manages to overcome its flaws on the strength of its
performances, displaying a raw tenderness without devolving into mawkish
sentimentalism.
Fleeing Belgium with his five-year-old son Sam (Armand
Verdure), Alain 'Ali' van Versch (Matthias Schoenaerts) arrives in Antibes,
southern France to live with his estranged sister Anna (Corinne Masiero) and
her husband Richard (Jean-Michel Correia). While working as a bouncer at the
Annexe nightclub one night, Ali encounters Stéphanie (Marion Cotillard), whom
he rescues from a brawl. He drives her back to the apartment she shares with
her overly controlling boyfriend Simon (Yannick Choirat) and leaves his number
in case of any trouble she might run into. Ali eventually reconnects with
Stéphanie when she calls him out of the blue after suffering a traumatic freak
accident at her job in Marineland that leaves her without legs. The two eventually
form a strange bond built on casual sex but their relationship is strained when
Ali continues his womanizing ways. Meanwhile, Ali encounters a shady character
named Martial (Bouli Lanners) during his job as a night security guard. He
agrees to help him install illegal security cameras in various stores (allowing
supervisors to spy on their employees) and in return, Martial introduces Ali to
an underground kickboxing group to earn a little extra cash. Neglecting his son
to pursue his dream as a kickboxer, a near-fatal incident forces Ali to
reevaluate his responsibilities as a father and come to terms with what truly
matters in his life.
Loosely based on Craig Davidson's 2005 short story
anthology of the same name, "Rust and Bone" is an unusual romance film,
one that would've been overly sappy if it were made in Hollywood but by
stripping the two main characters to their barest emotions (hence the title),
Audiard makes their struggles that much more real even when their relationship
fails to convince. When we first meet Ali and his five-year-old son Sam, the
two are hitchhiking to Antibes and eventually board a train for the duration of
their trip. Homeless with no money, Ali rifles through trash to keep his son
from going hungry and does not come off as very sympathetic or likable. He
steals a camera at an electronics store and rushes out without even a glance at
his son, who is standing in the sidewalk with a look of confusion on his face. In
fact, Ali frequently neglects Sam and his treatment towards him borders on
abuse at times, which makes it hard to connect with Ali on an emotional level.
However, he does care for his son despite being an all-around terrible father. Stéphanie
comes into play during a chance encounter at the nightclub where Ali works as a
bouncer. Unfortunately, it's never entirely clear why she reaches out to him in
the first place after the terrible accident (shown without resorting to gore) that
leaves her legless. Ali is far from a gentleman, treating women as little more
than objects to f*ck so it left me puzzled as to what exactly Stéphanie saw in him. There's certainly a primal attraction
between them and both are handicapped in their own ways (one physical, the
other emotional) but the more we spend time with Ali, the harder it is to see
these two having a future together. Little by little, Ali helps Stéphanie
regain her lost confidence and it's just a shame that she's not the story's main
focus. The emotions that she goes through are the rawest as her entire world
comes crashing down when she discovers that her legs are gone. The moment where
she realizes that life can still be good despite her extreme circumstances is
one of the most affecting scenes in the film, and it's all set to Katy Perry's Firework! Audiard's music choices can
seem a little strange (Love Shack,
anyone?) but it works in showing her gradual recovery. Stéphanie eventually
becomes Ali's fight manager when Martial runs into trouble with the law, which mirrors
her initial role as a trainer of killer whales. After a near-fatal incident
that leaves Sam trapped in a coma for three hours, Ali realizes (finally!) his
responsibilities as a father but the change comes about so suddenly, leading to
a happy ending that feels unearned and forced.
"Rust and Bone" is undone
by a fragmented narrative and inconsistent characters yet the emotions remain
very real thanks to the excellent performances from its two leads. Marion
Cotillard is amazing as Stéphanie and the actress' beauty still manages to
shine through even without makeup. She lends her character an inner strength
that is crushed in the wake of her tragedy yet Audiard doesn't turn Stéphanie
into a victim. Ali may have been the catalyst but every step she takes is on
her own terms, allowing her to emerge stronger than ever and accept that she
can still lead a fulfilling life. The visual effects used to remove Cotillard's
legs are seamless and you quickly forget that it's all a digital trick. He may
come off as a total meathead yet Matthias Schoenaerts does meathead well, even
if you want to punch the guy in the face at times. Ali is a savage brute that
lives to fight and f*ck and Audiard positions him as the type of man that needs
to be tamed by a good woman. It would've worked too if we didn't already spend
two hours watching him flail around like a Neanderthal but that's not a knock
against Schoenaerts as an actor; the script just fails to make a case as to why
we should about him.
Premiering back in May at the 65th Cannes Film Festival
and in limited release since November 23, 2012, "Rust and Bone" has
received positive reviews with 81% on Rotten Tomatoes. I expected it to be a
shoo-in on the nomination list for Best Foreign Language Film at the 85th
Academy Awards but France instead chose "The Intouchables," a film
that's not as artistically ambitious yet has more wide appeal. It remains to be
seen whether Cotillard will land a spot for Best Actress; I hope she does
though as a way to at least recognize her performance even if she doesn't win.
In the meantime, "Rust and Bone" currently has two Golden Globe
nominations but that awards show is really just an excuse for everyone in
Hollywood to get drunk while receiving a few statues for their time. Although
there are some stumbles along the way, the raw emotional power in "Rust
and Bone" remains undiminished and I still wholeheartedly recommend this
film, if only for Marion Cotillard's performance.
Final
Rating: 3.5 out of 5
"In
a human hand there are 27 bones. If you break an arm or a leg, the bone grows
back together by calcification. Your arm or leg can therefore become even
stronger. But with a hand fracture, it will never get quite right. In every
battle and with each slap you will think of it. You'll be careful. But once in
a while the pain will come back. Like needles. Like glass splinters."
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