Rust and Bone (2012)

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  TheMovieDiorama

  7 / 10

  Rust and Bone remains humanistic throughout but slowly meanders into the vast sea. French cinema just keeps getting better, and that's partially down to two of the finest actors working today. Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts. Put these two individuals into the same dramatic story and you should have yourself a masterpiece. However, this exercise proves you need more than just great acting to create a compelling story. A killer whale trainer succumbs to an accident that results in both legs being amputated. She encountered a club bouncer who she then relies on for assistance, rapidly developing affection towards him. A woman, contemplating the fate of her future happiness and life, relying on the pure physicality of someone who crossed paths with her by chance. The relationship between these two complex characters exude strength and humility, bringing out the very best and worst that life has to offer. Conveying a simple yet powerful message of not giving up. Through persistence and good intentions, the irredeemable can be redeemed. It's just a shame that the character of Ali had no redeemable features until the final five minutes, making it extremely difficult to become emotionally connected. His aggressive violence inflicted damage upon himself and those closest to him, including throwing his son into the corner of a table. We're supposed to sympathise with him, but it's Stephanie who obtains all of my empathy, who is undoubtedly a more relatable character. Cotillard and Schoenaerts were phenomenal as predicted, equally balancing nuanced emotions with raw physicality. It's a slow character driven drama, where the pacing is intricately developed and perfectly built. However, the concluding act did seem rushed for the sake of conveying redemption, unable to capture the emotive response the screenplay was after. Could've done with some more killer whale scenes (minus Katy Perry's 'Firework') to create that much needed splash of wonder and awe. Fortunately, the rest of the film was excellent and certainly will not rust for years to come.

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