Rust and Bone is an intelligent drama about a complicated woman and an uncomplicated man. She (Marion Cotillard) takes pride and enjoyment from her high profile job and lives with a boyfriend, but she is dissatisfied. A shocking and disabling accident turns her dissatisfaction into despair.
He (Matthias Schoenaerts of Bullhead) is amiable, carnal and matter-of-fact. He wouldn’t recognize a plan or a deep thought if it smacked him on the temple. For him, stress can lead to violent outbursts, which are especially scary because he is a downscale prizefighter.
The two people form a bond, and therein lies the drama. They engage each other in differing paces at different depths, often doing the same thing for separate reasons.
Director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet) makes excellent choices throughout, especially with very effective moments of silence and near-silence, which work to emphasize dramatic events more effectively than would swelling strings.
There are also non-stock secondary characters. One is the boxer’s shady friend whose eyes never meet another’s gaze, yet dart about, never missing anything. Another is the boxer’s sister who stands for a French working class struggling with the increasingly multinational economy.
Key plot plots may sound corny in isolation, but everything in this movie works well together. It’s an intelligent, solid and worthwhile drama.
1 thought on “Rust and Bone: two journeys join together”