Viewed – 14 March 2013  Blu-ray

Actress Marion Cotillard (Inception, The Dark Knight Rises) is fast becoming my go-to actress for interesting characters and performances with real depth.  Doesn’t hurt she’s also damn sexy.  On hearing about this Bafta nominated drama, I leaped at the chance to see one of the more talented actresses at the top of her game.

Cotillard plays Stephanie, a marine biologist working at a sea life park who trains performing Orca whales.  Following an altercation at a nightclub, she meets down-on-his luck bouncer Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), a single father living with his sister, struggling to make ends-meet.  Then disaster strikes as Stephanie is involved in a terrible accident, which puts their friendship and slow burning love affair to the test.

Beautifully Directed with realism and emotion by Jacques Audiard (A Prophet) this boasts a very believable and heart-wrenching turn from Cotillard and a raw, unpredictable turn by Schoenaerts that although being a film that isn’t about the big moments, but more two damaged people (Stephanie physically, Ali emotionally) … I was still swept up in the story.  It’s a bit slow at times, but with remarkable effects-work (I won’t spoil for you in what way) and some genuinely powerful moments (Stephanie practicing her whale training moves) – it’s not hard to see why this has had so much said about it.  For a French movie, smattering of sex and violence are almost a given, but the movie never goes too far, helping the performances shine as a result.

Recommended.

Verdict:  4 /5

Related articles

• ‘Rust and Bone’ not quite deep enough (triblive.com)
• Marion Cotillard: Working with a grumpy killer whale was terrifying (metro.co.uk)
• Rust and Bone by Jacques Audiard (hkauteur.wordpress.com)
• Hidden Depths: Jacques Audiard’s Rust and Bone (notreallyworking.co.uk)