Rust and Bone Film Review

Movie Review 1
Rust and Bone
 
    Being rewarded a plush seat in the prestigious Lumiere theatre at the Cannes Film Festival, for the afternoon screening of Rust and Bone made me realize how fortunate I am. I kept this in mind as the film began. Famous french director and writer, Jacques Audiard
introduces two characters in the beginning of the film who seem lost and helpless.
Emotionally damaged and physically inept these two strangers lives overlap and together they find a way to repair their misfortunes.
    Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), a homeless ex-fighter with a temper travels from the North of France with his son Sam (Armand Verdue) to Antibes where his sister Anna (Corinne Masiero) lives. Ali meets an orca trainer, Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) at a club working his first night as a bouncer. She performs shows with the trained orcas, until an accident that leaves her crippled. Stephanie realizes she can trust Ali who will not judge her for her handicap. With his continuous rage and poor parenting skills he slowly discovers he becomes a better person when he is with her. Throughout the film, Audiard includes subplots to add more depth and attachment to the characters.
    I became personally invested and immersed in the film, I decided to see it for a second time the following day. This time I was with a group and in a different theatre, but I was able to have the same powerful experience as I did the day before. In the second screening I realized the great amount of foreshadowing that was used. When Stephanie is first shown the camera focuses in on her legs before they show the rest of her body and face. This shows a type of importance to this half of her body. When Stephanie is performing in an orca show upbeat music is combined with slow depressing music. This foreshadows the occurrence of a catastrophe. In scenes where Ali is shown with his son, it is apparent Sam is frightened by him and does not trust him. Sam constantly tells Ali he has cold hands and never tells him he loves him. This causes continuous rage from Ali.
    Stephanie experiences her moment of clarity and true happiness after her accident when she is back in the ocean swimming and experiencing freedom. This is her turning point in the film, even before she became crippled she was never this happy and at peace with her self. Stephanie becomes a type of inspiration for Ali, she keeps him motivated and focused. He feels as if he can trust her, especially when he almost experiences the loss of a loved one. Eventually, Stephanie is able to go back and visit with the other trainers and orcas. Her interaction with the orcas is so endearing and sincere it engulfed me with emotion. The three simple words used by Ali makes the pain and heartache the two characters experience in the film disappear.
    The two songs selected for the beginning and end of the film by Bon Iver were well thought out and helped put the audience in the right mind set of the characters erratic feelings. The soothing soprano voice of Bon Iver shows the longing and desperation in the characters of the film. It completely exposes them and shows who they truly are. When the opening song plays while Ali and Sam are traveling to Antibes the audience automatically feels the need to care for them without knowing their background. The lyrics accurately portray the obstacles the characters have endured. Alexandre Desplat, a famous french film composer wrote the score for Rust and Bone. His compositions were alluring, yet haunting and eerie in the film. This type of music foreshadowed disaster that was about to take place.
    The cinematography throughout the film was very well done. It was in sync with the music and quickly grabbed the audiences attention. The lighting and angles used when filming the orcas flipping in slow motion was breathtaking. The way the camera caught the sunlight when Stephanie went outside for the first time since her accident was aesthetically beautiful. The slow motion used at the end of the film made the characters movements long lasting as if they were in a stand still.
    Marion Cotillard did an incredible job playing Stephanie, you could see how she was emotionally stable and struggled with her physical stability. The way she presented herself in the film showed confidence and respect for herself. She made the film worth seeing because her character had a difficult time adjusting to her new life. Cotillard’s character was the one who was able to bring Schoenaert’s character out of his emotional unstable state. Rust and Bone captures the reality of life.

Writers- Jacques Audiard, Thomas Bidegain, Craig Davidson
Director- Jacque Audiard
Producers- Jacques Auidard, Martine Cassinelli, Pascal Caucheteux, Antonin Dedet, Alix Raynaud
Main Cast- Marion Cotillard, Matthias Schoenaerts, Corinne Masiero, Celine Sallette, Bouli Lanners
Running Time- 120 minutes