Rust and Bone (**** out of ****)

Jacques Audiard is one of my favorite directors currently working and I like to believe that A Prophet is the finest film made all last decade. So of course I was looking forward to Rust and Bone especially when  the director is working with Marion Cotillard, my favorite actress now a days as well. Reviews of the film when it screened first at the Cannes Film Festival weren't as positive as A Prophet so my expectations lowered. Now that I've seen it I can honestly and with great determination hail it as a brave piece of filmmaking and one of the best films I've seen this year.

The film revolves around one of the most unlikely romances I've seen on screen. Alain van Versch ( a terrific Matthias Schoenaerts) is thrust into the care of his five year old son after the child's mother is arrested for drug trafficking. Alain is often a thief, boxer, hired muscle, friend, father or lover, whatever the situation calls for at the time. One night he's bouncing at a night club when he breaks a fight involving some men and Stephanie (Marion Cotillard). He drives her home and offers her his number. She is a Orca trainer at a park and one day her legs are bitten off by a whale in an accident (not spoiler if you've been reading so far , it's the plot of the film). She is in despair and eradicate, but one day calls back Alain. The two form an odd friendship that sometimes involves taking trips so that  he fighting in gypsy betting circles.

There is a lot to praise about this film. First being the performances, both are tour de forces especially Cotillard. There is also the weird plot of the film, it's a romance drama but in a such a strange fashion. It bleeds, nothing about it is safe. Like a wild animal Rust and Bone doesn't hide from the crazy world. It's also important to notice it's use of melodrama. Many movies use melodrama to create tension, but so few succeed like this film. Audiard builds character development to such a point where melodrama passes as credible. The people who made this care for the characters and their situations, so it's easy to form a odd bond with them. Also on another note Audiard uses music in all of his films including this one brilliantly. He uses a strange assortment such as Bon Ivor and Bruce Springsteen, but only could such a confident director use Katy Perry's Firework in a big emotional scene and completely pull it off. Rust and Bone doesn't shy away from life and you shouldn't shy away from this film.

**** out of ****