Rust and Bone (De rouille et d'os) is an unusual romance, by director and co-screenwriter Jacques Audiard. Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts are strange bedfellows to say the least. When they meet Stephanie is a killer whale trainer and Ali is a kick boxer cum bouncer but things change quickly for both of them.
It's kind of The Wrestler meets Free Willy, Fight Club without the hype.
He's having trouble getting used to looking after his 5 year-old son Sam (Armand Verdure). She is about to face an even greater adjustment.
The film has a very hard physical edge, which is fitting for the director of the powerful 2009 film A Prophet. This is not the territory of sitcoms or Hollywood rom-coms.
It is a French language film , set mostly in Antibes in southern France. The strong cast includes Corinne Masiero as Ali's battler sister Anna.
Without slipping into a spoiler, it's fair to say that the use of Computer-generated imagery (CGI) leaves you wondering about the how virtual is the reality.
Rust and Bone is a grim and disturbing but fundamentally uplifting tale. Not for the faint-hearted.
