Review of the movie 'Rust and Bone'

Review of 'Rust and Bone' starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenarts . Directed by Jacques Audard.


     Some people often complain about the violence in American films. But though some French flicks may not pile up as many dead bodies as your average American movie, the realism of some French films can  really depress you .  Take the recently released French movie 'Rust and Bone'. Here Marion Cotillard , a dolphin trainer meets a tough thug played by Matthew Schoenarts.
     Then Cotillard gets attacked by a dolphin in the pool. Or at least that's what probably happens. And in an instant, Cotillard becomes a double amputee, a young woman who's lost both her legs. Meanwhile she meets Schoenart who pursues two careers, one as a security guard and management stoolie, the other as a sometimes mixed martial arts fighter.
     He gets bloodied and then some. He also makes love to many women including Cotillard. Never before have I seen a double amputee have intercourse on the big screen. There has been at least one  or two movies on handicapped wheelchair-bound people including 'Born On the Fourth of July' and "Coming Home'. Both films were about Vietnam vets.. But they were tame wish-fulfilled works compared to "Rust and Bone'.
    Here's a film that shows poor or not so rich people struggling to survive. And its portrayal of the struggles of a handicapped Cotillard  are unmatched by any other film  I've ever seen on handicapped wheelchair bound people.
     When the late Gore Vidal was once asked why he called one of his novels 'Hollywood' he replied, "Because that's all that  America will be remembered for." Whether true or not, Hollywood  is a dream factory whose stars look like gods and goddesses. They live in mansions, worlds away from the lives of us earth bound average people. Of course that's part of the reason why people love U.S. films.
     'Rust and Bone'  doesn't seem to exist in the same planet as your average American film. That's what appealed to me as it played on the screen. Its ending isn't a complete downer but it's not an upper either. As the French  say, "Chacun a son gout," or "To each one's own taste." For a change of pace go watch "Rust and Bone'. It's an excellent film.