I was a bit worried about going to the French-Belgian film “Rust and Bone” because I read a comment that it’s a dark and depressing film. Hmm was I really up for something like that?
All I knew beforehand was that “Rust and Bone” is about a killer whale trainer (Stephanie) in France who befalls a tragic accident at work and subsequently gets into a relationship with a down-on-his-luck single father (Ali) that turns both their worlds around. The film was hailed by critics as being a very compelling love story between two pretty damaged souls, starring Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts. Hmm, I decided whatever darkness it was, I was game.
The pair in the film meets briefly while Ali’s a bouncer at a club in southern France, where’s he’s just moved with his young son to crash at his sister’s. Not long after, Stephanie suffers the accident at work that alters her life and leaves her despondent. Eventually she calls him and they begin to see each other at first as friends. He seems to see her for herself and not just as handicapped. Likewise, she comes to accept the street kickboxing matches he wants to pursue for extra wages. But despite their mutual love that develops, he’s still having sex with other women and doesn’t grasp his love for her until a set of events transpire that makes him leave town abruptly, where he’s eventually left to face an emergency that he can’t handle alone.
“Rust and Bone” drew me in like a siphon and didn’t let me go till the last scene. It’s quite an affecting little film; a gritty love story with strong performances (it could be Marion Cotillard’s best!). It reminded me slightly of “The Wrestler” with Mickey Rourke and Marisa Tomei. And oddly enough, both films include a Springsteen song, which is awesome. But while this one includes some kickboxing in it, it’s not the main focus of the film, which is definitely the coming together of these two troubled people.
Surely “Rust and Bone” has been quite overlooked in this year’s Academy Awards nominations. It’s in French with English subtitles and should have been nominated for Best Foreign Film and Best Actress in my humble opinion. (I think Marion Cotillard likely should have won too!) The film comes from a short-story collection of the same title by Canadian author Craig Davidson. I’d liked to go back and read what’s he’s written because from what I can tell from this, it must be pretty powerful.
