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Rust and Bone Movie Review

Rust and Bone is a 2012 romantic drama film directed by Jacques Audiard and starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts. It’s such a moving, stupendously acted flick.

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“What have you done with my legs?“

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The movie follows the romantic relationship that develops between a boxer and a killer whale trainer after she loses one of her legs in an accident. This is a very emotional tale that depicts this highly modern, relevant romance for the 21^st century. The dynamic between these two people just felt so real without ever resorting to any overly implausible scenarios.

Well, the ending did not appeal to me. That third act definitely made me realize that the filmmakers simply did not know how to end this story, so they included this highly intense, overly melodramatic moment that simply wasn’t needed for this particular story. Yes, they tried to shoehorn in the parallel between his now hurt hands and her lost leg, but it just felt forced and it did not work at all.

But the remainder of the film definitely worked. The romance was moving, the characters are not too well developed, but they are so believable and well acted that you feel that you’ve really met them. Matthias Schoenaerts is just terrific as Ali. He is charismatic, confident and believable throughout.

But it is Marion Cotillard who stole the show in what is one of her greatest roles. Her Stephanie again isn’t particularly well developed, but she elevated the role to greater heights due to her meticulously detailed, subdued and powerful performance. The Firework scene on the balcony is the best example of her immense acting talents. She truly is a star.

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Rust and Bone is very well directed by Jacques Audiard and it ranks among his better movies. It’s crazy to me that the Academy snubbed this romance when it is so timeless and wide its appeal. This was truly a huge snub. The movie is well paced until that weak third act and also very well shot. The imagery and what it represents is at times quite deep and powerful in its subtlety. A lot of the movie is told with minimalistic dialogue as it focuses on wonderfully nuanced facial expressions and character interactions.

Rust and Bone has an overly melodramatic ending. It seemed that the filmmakers really did not know how to end this story properly. With that being said, the remainder of the film is very strong. This is one modern, touching romance with a particularly impressive emphasis on minimalistic dialogue and nuanced storytelling. The acting is fantastic, especially that of Marion Cotillard. She powered through this film like a genuine star, elevating an otherwise weakly developed character to much greater heights.

My Rating – 4