(Trailer for ‘Rust and Bone’ – Sony Pictures Classics)
Described by The Telegraph as “….. bruising, beautiful, and fierce, a love story written in scar tissue, acted with galvanising intelligence, and directed like a dream” Rust and Bone is the Tuesday evening movie at the San Francisco Alliance Française this week.
Starring Academy Award-winning actress Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone is directed by Jacques Audiard (Read My Lips and A Prophet), who co-wrote the screenplay with Thomas Bidegain. It’s based on a story by Canadian author Craig Davidson, with a score by multi-award-winning composer Alexandre Desplat.
The film tells of the unusual relationship which develops between an orca trainer, Stéphanie – “played with piercingly shrewd intelligence and sensuality by Marion Cotillard” says The Guardian – who loses both legs in an accident, and Ali, a Belgian nightclub bouncer and security guard with aspirations of becoming a specialist in the martial arts.
Following the failure of a relationship, Ali, with his young son Sam (played by Armand Verdure), hitchhikes to Antibes, where his sister Anna (Corinne Masiero) has a home. A ‘what you see is what you get’ type of character, he meets Stéphanie who is in a state of deep depression following her accident, but who discovers a soulmate in Ali. They find themselves becoming ever closer in response to a series of challenges and unpleasant incidents which arise, but each of them is a fighter and each of them needs the other to survive what life throws at them.
Director Jacques Audiard, says The Guardian, “…. takes huge risks navigating his way through this pummelling workout of a film …..”, adding that “His sure sense of rhythm, Juliette Welfling’s typically incisive editing, and the tremendous leads give it clout”.
At the 2013 Césars ceremony, Rust and Bone won four awards – for Matthias Schoenaerts as Most Promising Actor, Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain for Best Adapted Screenplay, Alexandre Desplat for Best Original Music, and Juliette Welfling for Best Editing.
Among numerous nominations were those in five categories at the Césars, including one for Marion Cotillard as Best Actress. Jacques Audiard was nominated for the Palm d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, and there were also nominations for Rust and Bone and for Marion Cotillard at the 2013 Golden Globes and BAFTAs, and for Cotillard at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
Rust and Bone screens – in French with English subtitles – at the Alliance Française, 1345 Bush Street, at 7.00 pm on Tuesday, August 2. Admission is free, but a $5 donation is suggested.