Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone - Surviving and Loving

Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts) lives his life without much heed for commitment or responsibility. At 25, he is unemployed. Then he's given custody of his 5-year old son Sam (Armand Vendure). With no work or any possible opportunity in the horizon, he packs his bags, takes Sam with him and moves to Antibe in the south of France where his childless sister Ana lives with her husband. But this situation is likewise bleak; Ana's tenure is temporary. She works as a cashier for a supermarket. Ali soon finds odd jobs: as security at his sister’s supermarket, and four times nightly, he moonlights as bouncer at a dance club. One night, he meets Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) who’s in a loveless relationship. They strike a friendship that withstands an accident at the marine park where Steph trains killer Orcas. One day, Steph wakes up with both her feet amputated. Ali offers help and soon, they share non-committal concupiscent trysts. 

Meanwhile, Ali lands an invitation to fight for a kickboxing match that would earn him big bucks if he wins. Otherwise, it’s a fight to the end. Steph gets her leg prosthesis and gradually insinuates herself into Ali’s life, meeting Sam and Ali’s sister Ana in the process. Ali’s occasional romp with anonymous girls soon becomes an issue. What’s worse, Ali gets involved in an insider’s ruse that gets his sister terminated from her job (she takes home the expired goods from the supermarket). Ana was understandably livid; she orders Ali to move out. What’s a guy to do?

Director Jacques Audiard’s French-language “Rust and Bone” weaves a tale that follows Ali and Stephanie’s cantankerous lives: a drifter’s descent into avertable tragedy and a grieving woman’s rise from fall. Matthias Schoenaerts displays raw magnetism reeking with machismo. His cinematic charisma compels his audience to diligently root for him, despite his missteps. It is this intuitive empathy that allows us to connect with someone who’s almost self-destructive. Marion Cotillard, on the other hand, fiercely inhabits her highly nuanced character; her emotive shifts right after her accident were imbued with earnest persuasion. That such feeble souls had to eventually find comfort in each other’s vulnerability is nothing short of inspiring. We all need help sometimes.

The film has several graphic scenes between our protagonists, including full frontals from Schoenaerts. The film was based on Canadian author Craig Davidson’s short stories, “Rust and Bone” and “Rocket Ride”. Audiard had to tweak the narrative, changing the main character into a woman since Davidson's stories were “about a man who loses his leg after a killer whale attack”. The film got nominated for Cannes’ Palme d’Or. Cotillard got Best Actress nominations from BAFTA, the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards. It even won a Best Actor plum for Schoenaerts at the Valladolid International Film Festival. The riveting thread of events create one of 2012's most compelling stories. Not to be missed!  

Ali engages in street fighting.

Marion Cotillard

Cotillard filmed "Rust and Bone" simultaneously with "The Dark Knight Rises".

Matthias Schoenaerts

The 6' 2" actor beat 200 others who auditioned for the role.  Audiard initially wanted  a neophyte so he had to scour gyms and boxing clubs for his Ali.

Ali moves to Antibes, a city in the south of France.

Tahar Rahim Sizzles in Jacques Audiard's "Un Prophete"

When small-time thief, 19 year old arab Malik (Tahar Rahim), is thrown into prison for 6 years, he falls under the ministrations of a Corsican gang headed by mafia kingpin Luciani (Niels Arestrup). After succeeding his rite of passage (he baits himself for a sexual favor, then whacks the guy with a blade on his jugular), he officially becomes the Corsicans' "go-fer" as he gradually rises up the ladder of unseemly mafiahood. Inside the cells, he learns how to read and write, and befriends people from warring factions. He needs to cooperate with both in order to survive. He further takes advantage of his situation when he is given 12-hour leaves. But where does this take the corrupted Malik after his 6-year sentence? Will he even live to see the day?

Newcomer Tahar Rahim comes off vulnerable as the humbled youth inside the harsh environment of the French prisons. He reminds me of Jim Caviezel ("The Passion of the Christ"), and then again, he reminds me of an Arabic version of Orlando Bloom! Tell me that is a bad combination. Though the story runs for a lengthy 2 hours and 36 minutes, Malik's journey wasn't seamlessly told - but there was catharsis when he finally makes the finish line. This is an inspiring film everyone should watch - Jacques Audiard's "Un Prophete".

The film got a nomination at the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes and got the Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globe. Tahar Rahim won the French Oscar as Best Actor. The movie went on to win 25 other awards from different award giving bodies.

Malik holds his godson.

Malik is sent to Marseilles, and rides the plane for the first time.

Fresh faced, boyish Tahar Rahim is one of Cannes' 2009's breakout actors. Rahim has since been very busy, appearing in 6 films if different stages of production. He will be seen next in Kevin Macdonald's "The Eagle" with Channing Tatum.

Tahar Rahim during a press conference for "A Prophet". This is also our 4th Jacques Audiard film: "A Self Made Hero" (starring our favorite actor-director Mathieu Kassovitz), "Read My Lips" (with Vincent Cassel), and "The Beat That My Heart Skipped" (with Romain Duris). Boy, Audiard sure knows how to choose his actors!