Rust and Bone
This film was my biggest slap in the face of 2012. And yet, I was very much afraid I'd be disappointed, because of the subject matter's potential for maudlin pathos, because everyone was talking about Audiard as the messiah and promising the Palme d'Or to Rust and Bone even before its release, and above all because De battre mon cœur s'est arrêté had left me totally unmoved.
The first images of Rust and Bone are superb, for the rest I have no idea, I was completely taken in by the story, by the characters, by everything. Matthias Schoenaerts is phenomenal, he's perfect throughout the film, I couldn't take my eyes off him for a single second. He completely steals the show from Marion Cotillard, who is nevertheless very good.
Rust and Bone transported me, I experienced the film physically, I took every blow Ali took, I was in real pain during the lake scene. It stirred my guts in a way that rarely happens to me.
There's a very interesting approach to the body: before the accident, Ali and Stéphanie don't touch each other, and afterwards Ali only touches Stéphanie in two circumstances: to carry her into the water, in a very tender and delicate way, and when they sleep together, in an almost bestial way. Matthias Schoenaerts's physical strength is a key element, highlighting his character, his fragility, but also his differences with Stéphanie.
I didn't cry, and I think that's one of the film's strong points. There's no excessive pathos. No miserabilism here, Stéphanie is not a victim, and Rust and Bone is not a tearjerker. On the contrary, there are some very funny scenes.
In the end, I think the real “hero”, the main character, is Ali. Exaggerating a little, I'd say that Stephanie's character is an excuse to meet Ali. Of course, Stéphanie plays an important role in the story, but everything revolves around Ali, the characters are defined in relation to him, every action, every event has a resonance on him.
Rust and Bone shows us snapshots of their lives, and the narration is very well managed, with ellipses and unspoken words enough to make the point. There's not a useless shot, not one drawn-out scene. The characters are raw, whole, flawed and sometimes detestable, but this is a necessary evil to make them human.
On leaving the theater, I heard someone say “it's like the Intouchables, but directed by a depressive”. I couldn't agree less. The Intouchables is an average comedy, with a quadriplegic guy and a living cliché from the projects who listen to Kool and the Gang and make “no arms, no chocolate” jokes. The film isn't that bad, it's just insipid. Anyone who saw Intouchables as a lesson in how to deal with disabled people, how to treat them without compassion and how not to see them as sick before seeing them as human should watch Rust and Bone.
The relationship between Ali and Stéphanie is magnificent, full of gentleness and delicacy, and totally devoid of complacency and misery. I don't see Rust and Bone as a film about disability, but as a film about the encounter between two broken people.
The only criticism I'd make of the film is the part about the surveillance, the wheeling and dealing with Bouli Lanners' character (excellent in his role, by all accounts). I found this part of the story far less interesting, and it stood out from the rest.
I have no idea whether Rust and Bone deserves the Palme d'Or, as I haven't seen any of the other films in competition. All I know is that it deserves to be seen. If you let yourself be dragged along, as I did, you'll be roughed up for 2 hours and leave the screening exhausted but happy.
