"Rust and Bone" - directed by Jacques Audiard
(De rouille et d'os)
Despite a pretty grim sounding storyline I was really keen to see this one.
I have nothing against grim stories as such - there's just a kind of grim story that I am not overly fussed on.
Usually the sort of story that has a personal tragedy hanging over it so much that you just sit there in your seat waiting for it to hurry up and happen so that it can all play out and you can see if you need to arrange a hug, Prozac or quart of bourbon when you leave the cinema.
I couldn't make either of the advanced screenings last week but the person who used my seat raved so unlike "Amour" it seemed like this might be a grim story that wouldn't ruin my week.
I also couldn't make the opening night session - it was starting to become a 'cursed' movie for me.
More on that shortly.
But still- I found myself looking forward to it more than I expected.
It has received good notices and I like a lot of French movies.
And of course it has Marion Cotillard in it.
Cotillard stars- quite by coincidence (or is it?) in three movies that are nearly always on my All Time Top Ten list.
That would be "The Dark Knight Rises", "A Very Long Engagement" and of course number one- the mighty "Inception".
I love Cotillard with a vengeance.
She is a fantastic actress, a beautiful woman and has shown a wicked sense of fun in interviews mostly all while charming the host to within an inch of his or her life.
Then there is this...
Click HERE and behold the awesomeness of this woman.
All that and a sense of humour.
Oh, and the 'curse' that I mentioned?
I showed up for a morning session today and was directed in to the cinema by a young guy who worked there.
I sat for twenty minutes listening to some sort of horror show CD of movie instrumentals based on the work of Seal, Celine Dion and Rod Stewart waiting for the movie to begin.
When I left the cinema to ask what the delay was it turns out that I had been shown to the wrong cinema.
But I re-booked for the very next session two and a half hours later and finally saw the film.
So.... grim and depressing?
Not really no.
There is some darkness to this story of an Orca trainer who loses her legs in an accident on the job but it is not going to beat you up like "Amour" or "Beyond" tend to.
Cotillard plays Stephanie the trainer but first we meet Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts) and his son Sam (Armand Verdure)
They are seemingly drifting from town to town.
The boy had been used as a drug mule by the Mother who is now out of their lives.
Ali gets a job as a bouncer at a nightclub after lying in the interview about not smoking and drinking.
He meets Steph there when she gets a bleeding nose from an altercation outside.
Recognising that she cannot drive he drives her home in her car and goes in for some ice for his hand which is swelling after he got involved in the fight.
The image of his hand soaking in the bowl of ice is a nice foreshadowing of an event that takes place near the end.
When Steph loses her legs she phones him.
An immediately mystifying act given that he didn't endear himself to her during their sole, short time together but as we learn more about each person maybe not so puzzling.
What we learn is that Ali is self absorbed and although he shows great kindness and consideration to Steph one moment he is quite comfortable disregarding her feelings the next.
He is a man unwilling to commit to anything it seems even his own son who he has no patience with.
We have seen him steal and we have seen him partake of casual sexual encounters when he should be picking Sam up from school.
And it was during that last scene that it hit me.
This isn't a film about a man who helps a woman who has suffered a great misfortune.
It is a film about how the same woman helps a damaged man who is in danger of experiencing yet more loss in his own life.
Steph is certainly helped by Ali initially but she is far more his savation than he is hers.
The scene in which he carries her to the ocean to swim is a gem though - very good stuff sold extremely well by Cotillard in particular.
I was reminded somewhat of "The Sessions" during the sex scenes which show the healing power that the act can have for people who have a tenuous grasp of a previous life believed lost.
If there is anything negative to highlight here it may be that the ending appears a little rushed.
In getting to where it needed to in the final half hour I felt that one character in particular had not gone through the required transformation that would have prompted the decision that they made.
There is a pivotal scene that is certainly a huge push in that regard and on its own it is certainly an event to make one look at ones life but still I believe a little more time would have served well.
It's a small complaint in an otherwise terrifically acted and shot movie.
Points also the soundtrack which finds a way to make Katy Perry's "Firework" genuinely uplifting.
I love Katy Perry but it isn't for her music and it is a surprise to experience a throwaway pop dirge used to such touching effect.
If there is one overriding reason to see this film it is that this is a absolute Marion Cotillard showcase.
Her performance alone warrants buying a ticket.
She spent a week at a marine park learning the signals that her screen profession requires and shot this movie at the same time as "The Dark Knight Rises".
She has an effortless appeal that can make a scene in which she 'dances' in a wheelchair more sensual and attractive than you would possibly expect.
I wouldn't even try to claim an unbiased view on the subject but that doesn't change the fact that she bears a lot more of the weight of this films success than her screen time might suggest.
Her performance towers over it however.
No to take anything away from Matthias Schoenaerts who is also very good or young Armand Verdue who does a stellar job as the child caught up in the machinations of the adults who should be caring for him.
Whereas I would recommend "Amour" or "Beyond" with some qualification as to the quality versus the enjoyment, the ratio for "Rust and Bone" is entirely well balanced.
This is rewarding and touching in a way that makes whatever distress it might also throw at the viewer entirely acceptable.
(De rouille et d'os)
I have nothing against grim stories as such - there's just a kind of grim story that I am not overly fussed on.
Usually the sort of story that has a personal tragedy hanging over it so much that you just sit there in your seat waiting for it to hurry up and happen so that it can all play out and you can see if you need to arrange a hug, Prozac or quart of bourbon when you leave the cinema.
I couldn't make either of the advanced screenings last week but the person who used my seat raved so unlike "Amour" it seemed like this might be a grim story that wouldn't ruin my week.
I also couldn't make the opening night session - it was starting to become a 'cursed' movie for me.
More on that shortly.
But still- I found myself looking forward to it more than I expected.
It has received good notices and I like a lot of French movies.
And of course it has Marion Cotillard in it.
Cotillard stars- quite by coincidence (or is it?) in three movies that are nearly always on my All Time Top Ten list.
That would be "The Dark Knight Rises", "A Very Long Engagement" and of course number one- the mighty "Inception".
I love Cotillard with a vengeance.
She is a fantastic actress, a beautiful woman and has shown a wicked sense of fun in interviews mostly all while charming the host to within an inch of his or her life.
Then there is this...
Click HERE and behold the awesomeness of this woman.
All that and a sense of humour.
Oh, and the 'curse' that I mentioned?
I showed up for a morning session today and was directed in to the cinema by a young guy who worked there.
I sat for twenty minutes listening to some sort of horror show CD of movie instrumentals based on the work of Seal, Celine Dion and Rod Stewart waiting for the movie to begin.
When I left the cinema to ask what the delay was it turns out that I had been shown to the wrong cinema.
But I re-booked for the very next session two and a half hours later and finally saw the film.
So.... grim and depressing?
Not really no.
There is some darkness to this story of an Orca trainer who loses her legs in an accident on the job but it is not going to beat you up like "Amour" or "Beyond" tend to.
Cotillard plays Stephanie the trainer but first we meet Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts) and his son Sam (Armand Verdure)
They are seemingly drifting from town to town.
The boy had been used as a drug mule by the Mother who is now out of their lives.
Ali gets a job as a bouncer at a nightclub after lying in the interview about not smoking and drinking.
He meets Steph there when she gets a bleeding nose from an altercation outside.
Recognising that she cannot drive he drives her home in her car and goes in for some ice for his hand which is swelling after he got involved in the fight.
The image of his hand soaking in the bowl of ice is a nice foreshadowing of an event that takes place near the end.
 |
| Sam (Arman Verdure) with Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts) and the incredible Marion Cotillard |
An immediately mystifying act given that he didn't endear himself to her during their sole, short time together but as we learn more about each person maybe not so puzzling.
What we learn is that Ali is self absorbed and although he shows great kindness and consideration to Steph one moment he is quite comfortable disregarding her feelings the next.
He is a man unwilling to commit to anything it seems even his own son who he has no patience with.
We have seen him steal and we have seen him partake of casual sexual encounters when he should be picking Sam up from school.
And it was during that last scene that it hit me.
This isn't a film about a man who helps a woman who has suffered a great misfortune.
It is a film about how the same woman helps a damaged man who is in danger of experiencing yet more loss in his own life.
Steph is certainly helped by Ali initially but she is far more his savation than he is hers.
The scene in which he carries her to the ocean to swim is a gem though - very good stuff sold extremely well by Cotillard in particular.
 |
| It's a little known fact that Marion Cotillard can direct traffic nearly as well as she stops it |
If there is anything negative to highlight here it may be that the ending appears a little rushed.
In getting to where it needed to in the final half hour I felt that one character in particular had not gone through the required transformation that would have prompted the decision that they made.
There is a pivotal scene that is certainly a huge push in that regard and on its own it is certainly an event to make one look at ones life but still I believe a little more time would have served well.
It's a small complaint in an otherwise terrifically acted and shot movie.
Points also the soundtrack which finds a way to make Katy Perry's "Firework" genuinely uplifting.
I love Katy Perry but it isn't for her music and it is a surprise to experience a throwaway pop dirge used to such touching effect.
If there is one overriding reason to see this film it is that this is a absolute Marion Cotillard showcase.
She spent a week at a marine park learning the signals that her screen profession requires and shot this movie at the same time as "The Dark Knight Rises".
She has an effortless appeal that can make a scene in which she 'dances' in a wheelchair more sensual and attractive than you would possibly expect.
I wouldn't even try to claim an unbiased view on the subject but that doesn't change the fact that she bears a lot more of the weight of this films success than her screen time might suggest.
Her performance towers over it however.
No to take anything away from Matthias Schoenaerts who is also very good or young Armand Verdue who does a stellar job as the child caught up in the machinations of the adults who should be caring for him.
Whereas I would recommend "Amour" or "Beyond" with some qualification as to the quality versus the enjoyment, the ratio for "Rust and Bone" is entirely well balanced.
This is rewarding and touching in a way that makes whatever distress it might also throw at the viewer entirely acceptable.
| Rated | R16 for profanity, violence and sex scenes |
| Running Time:120 minutes | (1hr 56mins without end credits) |
| Starring: |
| Marion Cotillard | --- Stephanie |
| Matthias Schoenaerts | --- Alain van Versch (Ali) |
| Armand Verdure | --- Sam |
| Celine Sallette | --- Louise |
| Corinne Masiero | --- Anna |
| Bouli Lanners | --- Martial |
| Jean-Michel Correia | --- Richard |
| Mourad Frarema | --- Foued |
| Yannick Choirat | --- Simon |
| Fred Menut | --- Le Patron d'ELP Securitie |
| Duncan Versteegh | --- Soigneur d'orques |
No comments:
Post a Comment