Rust and Bone is the story of a friendship between Stéphanie (Marion Cotillard), a killer whale trainer, and Alain (Matthias Schoenaerts), a security guard-turned-street fighter, who grow close after the former loses part of her legs in a workplace mishap. A French film directed by Jacques Audiard (A Prophet), Rust and Bone is based on a book of short stories by Canadian novelist Craig Davidson. Both Alain and Stéphanie are complex, though not completely sympathetic, characters—we encounter the two at a transitional point in their lives. Alain, who has recently moved into his sister’s place in Antibes with his young son, can’t get his life together, as Stéphanie adapts to her new life—it’s unclear by the movie’s end to what extent the characters have evolved, however, Cotillard’s performance alone makes this movie worthwhile.
