Rust and Bone, a Review

I am a sucker for trailers, particularly when they include beautiful songs like M83's "My Tears are Becoming a Sea." This song has always been one of my favorite M83 tracks, mainly because of its power. It's almost like it was designed to be included in trailers.

I am slightly obsessed with Marion Cotillard. She can say so much with just a glance. She's been in numerous American-made films where she speaks English, a couple of her more popular ones include Inception and The Dark Knight Rises. I, however, am partial to her French roles. "Little White Lies" may not have been a truly groundbreaking film, but Marion's role was heart-wrenching. There's a scene where she bawls uncontrollably and it truly breaks my heart. For a comprehensive list of her roles, consult IMDB here http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0182839/.

I first saw the trailer for "Rust and Bone" while at the Embarcadero Center Cinema watching another French film "The Big Picture" (which was sadly, very contrived and sorely unrealistic). I nudged my friend and told her it looked amazing and had to see it the moment it came out.

Rust and Bone begins with Alain, played brilliantly by Matthias Schoenearts, leaving Belgium with his 5-year-old son with nothing more than a bag on his back. He heads to Antibes to live with his sister. Little is discussed about the son's mother, other than she had used him to smuggle drugs, and it appears that even though Alain has next to nothing, he clearly loves his child.

Once in Antibes, he picks up odd jobs working security at warehouses and at bars. At the Annex, a local club where Alain is working, Stephanie, played by Marion Cotillard, gets into a scuffle with men outside. Alain comes to her rescue. And this appears to be his subsequent role in her life.

Alain rushes Stephanie home after the scuffle, and we see that she is living with her lover Simon. He doesn't appear to be too worried about Stephanie's scuffle, and we are left to believe that this happens more often than the film lets on. In Stephanie's house, we see photos everywhere of her and the killer whales she trains.

Alain gains quick employment setting up secret cameras in stores and warehouses to catch the workers doing illicit deeds. At this point, we know that Alain will do whatever he needs to support his young son. As part of this, Alain meets someone who offers to put him in street fights for money. Alain's background in boxing makes this perfect, and the money is quick.

During a show at the Antibes equivalent of Sea World, Stephanie, the orca trainer, is badly injured by an errant whale mishap. She wakes up in the hospital and is mortified by what she sees.

Her depression envelopes her, and she quickly makes a friend and confidant in Alain, after Simon seemingly has disappeared on her. The relationship that ensues between Stephanie and Alain is very platonic yet touching. Alain helps Stephanie, and in turn she helps him. Through their friendship and love, they make their way from the depths of darkness, back into the light.