Rust and Bone

Alain "Ali" van Versch, an unemployed single father in his twenties, arrives in Antibes to look for work to support his young son, Sam. Having no money, he crashes with his sister Anna, a cashier who already has her own share of problems with financial instability and temporary employment.

Ali gets a job as a bouncer in a nightclub, which allows him to continue his passion for kickboxing by training during the day. One evening, Ali meets Stéphanie after she is injured in a club brawl. He escorts her back to her home, where he learns she is an orca trainer at Marineland. Ali offers his phone number to Stéphanie before leaving. He later gets a new job as a security guard, where his co-worker Martial informs him of an illegal fighting racket where he can earn money in bouts.

At Marineland, Stéphanie suffers an accident during a show and wakes up in the hospital to realize that her legs have been amputated. Now in a wheelchair and trying to adjust to life without her legs, Stéphanie is deeply depressed and gives Ali a call. Ali visits her and takes her to a beach, where he persuades her to go swimming; though hesitant at first, Stéphanie eventually forgets her self-consciousness and is liberated by the experience.

Ali and Stéphanie begin to spend more time together, and her self-image improves. After she is outfitted with artificial limbs, she persists in learning to walk again. Stéphanie learns about Ali's involvement in mixed martial arts and has him bring her to watch his fights. After a frank discussion with Stéphanie, Ali offers to have sex with her to help her adjust to her new body. Their friendship evolves to include casual sex, though Stéphanie prevents deeper intimacy by forbidding kissing during their encounters.

On a night out with Ali and friends at the club where Ali formerly worked, Stéphanie feels rejected when Ali dances with another woman and goes home with her. A man at the bar tries to make a pass at Stéphanie, but stops short when he sees her prosthetic legs under her skirt. The man apologizes to her, prompting Stéphanie to fly into a rage and attack him. She is escorted from the club.

The next day, Stéphanie questions Ali about their relationship. She says that if they continue to have casual sex, they have to respect each other's feelings and be more discreet about their other involvements. Their intimacy increases and, one night Stéphanie lets down her guard and kisses Ali. Stéphanie also begins managing Ali's bets for his fighting when Martial leaves town.

Anna is fired from her job when the managers catch her taking home expired food products. Her co-workers tell her that Ali was found installing surveillance cameras at her job, at the behest of the management so they could spy on employees' activities. Anna has a tense fight with her brother Ali, culminating in a standoff between him and her partner Richard, who demands that Ali leave Anna's flat and not come back.

Out of guilt for his offense, Ali leaves town without a word to Stéphanie. He leaves Sam with Anna in order to attend a combat sports training facility near Strasbourg. Some time later, Richard drops Sam off to visit Ali for a day at the training facility. On their day together, Ali and Sam play in the snow and on a frozen lake. Ali briefly steps off the ice to relieve himself, but while he is occupied, a weak spot on the ice beneath Sam cracks open and he falls into the lake. Ali frantically tries to rescue him, and after desperately punching the ice to break the surface, he is able to pull out the unconscious boy. In the process, Ali fractures almost every bone in his hands.

After carrying Sam to a hospital, Ali stays at the boy's side while he is in a coma. Sam ultimately survives the ordeal. Stéphanie, learning of Sam's accident, phones Ali at the hospital. While talking to Stéphanie, Ali breaks down in tears and confesses his love for her.

As Ali narrates, he explains how broken bones normally heal stronger than before, but he knows the pain will return in his hands.

After some time passes, Ali is shown celebrating a fight victory in Warsaw as Stéphanie happily watches. After the win, Ali and Stéphanie take Sam by the hand and lead him out through the revolving door of a hotel.

{{castlist|

• Marion Cotillard as Stéphanie
• Matthias Schoenaerts as Ali
• Armand Verdure as Sam
• Corinne Masiero as Anna
• Céline Sallette as Louise
• Bouli Lanners as Martial
• Mourad Frarema as Foued
• Jean-Michel Correia as Richard
• Yannick Choirat as Simon

}}

The project was announced by Variety on 7 September 2011. The film was produced by Why Not Productions for €15.4 million.{{Cite web |url=http://www.audiovisuel.cfwb.be/index.php?eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&file=fileadmin%2Fsites%2Favm%2Fupload%2Favm_super_editor%2Favm_editor%2FPublications%2FTelechargement_pdf%2FBilan_CCA%2FBilan_2011%2FBilan2011.pdf&t=1338032214&hash=0a17aad6142e3d306dff7a04968d776d2eeb5b7b |title=Audiovisuel et Médias - Audiovisuel |access-date=15 July 2022 |archive-date=1 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701201441/http://www.audiovisuel.cfwb.be/index.php?eID=tx_nawsecuredl&u=0&file=fileadmin%2Fsites%2Favm%2Fupload%2Favm_super_editor%2Favm_editor%2FPublications%2FTelechargement_pdf%2FBilan_CCA%2FBilan_2011%2FBilan2011.pdf&t=1338032214&hash=0a17aad6142e3d306dff7a04968d776d2eeb5b7b |url-status=dead }} It was co-produced with France 2 Cinéma, Page 114 and the Belgian company Les Films du Fleuve. Filming started on 4 October 2011 and lasted eight weeks. Locations were used in Antibes, Cannes, Belgium, Paris, northern France, Liège{{Cite web |date=6 June 2012 |title=Liège: une scène du film " De Rouille et d’Os " tournée à l’hôpital de la Citadelle |url=https://www.sudinfo.be/art/430691/article/regions/liege/2012-06-06/liege-une-scene-du-film-%E2%80%9C-de-rouille-et-d%E2%80%99os-%E2%80%9D-tournee-a-l%E2%80%99hopital-de-la-citadel |website=SudInfo |language=fr}} and Brussels.{{cite web |last=Lemercier |first=Fabien |date=7 October 2011 |title=Cotillard stars as killer whale trainer in Audiard's Rust and Bone |url=http://www.cineuropa.org/2011/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=210299 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111009231544/http://www.cineuropa.org/2011/nw.aspx?t=newsdetail&l=en&did=210299 |archive-date=9 October 2011 |access-date=15 February 2012 |work=Cineuropa}} To prepare for the role, Cotillard took swimming lessons and spent a week at Marineland to learn how to direct whales.{{cite web|last=Hohenadel|first=Kristin|title=Wrestling a New Role into Its Full Rebirth|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/movies/marion-cotillard-on-rust-and-bone-from-jacques-audiard.html?pagewanted=all|work=The New York Times|access-date=19 November 2012|date=16 November 2012|archive-date=18 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121118183841/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/18/movies/marion-cotillard-on-rust-and-bone-from-jacques-audiard.html?pagewanted=all|url-status=live}} Explaining how the team adjusted to Stéphanie having no legs, Cotillard said: "When we did the first costume fitting, we had to try those pants that were empty of my legs and I had to fold my legs in the wheelchair. That image was so powerful that we kept it throughout the movie. And also we worked with amazing CGI guys."{{cite web|last=Topel|first=Fred|title=The Cinema of My Country: Marion Cotillard on Rust and Bone|url=http://www.craveonline.com/film/interviews/200157-the-cinema-of-my-country-marion-cotillard-on-rust-and-bone|work=CraveOnline|publisher=AtomicOnline|access-date=19 November 2012|date=19 November 2012|archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20130421171932/http://www.craveonline.com/film/interviews/200157-the-cinema-of-my-country-marion-cotillard-on-rust-and-bone|archive-date=21 April 2013|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

The special effects were provided by French company Mikros Image.{{Cite web|url=http://www.artofvfx.com/de-rouille-et-dos-cedric-fayolle-superviseur-vfx-mikros-image/|title=RUST & BONE: Cedric Fayolle - VFX Supervisor - Mikros Image - The Art of VFXThe Art of VFX|website=www.artofvfx.com|date=5 June 2012|language=en-US|access-date=2017-03-01|archive-date=1 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301182552/http://www.artofvfx.com/de-rouille-et-dos-cedric-fayolle-superviseur-vfx-mikros-image/|url-status=live}} One of the key methods used was to have Cottilard wear green knee length socks. The legs below her knees were erased by computer or replaced with the image of prosthetic lower legs.{{Cite web|url=http://www.artofvfx.com/rust-and-bone-making-of-by-mikros-image/|title=RUST AND BONE: Making of by Mikros Image - The Art of VFXThe Art of VFX|website=www.artofvfx.com|date=7 December 2016|language=en-US|access-date=2017-03-01|archive-date=1 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301191457/http://www.artofvfx.com/rust-and-bone-making-of-by-mikros-image/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news|url=http://www.gamesradar.com/world-exclusive-rust-and-bone-s-cgi-magic-video/|title=World Exclusive - Rust And Bone's CGI Magic Video|work=gamesradar|access-date=2017-03-01|language=en|archive-date=1 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301182134/http://www.gamesradar.com/world-exclusive-rust-and-bone-s-cgi-magic-video/|url-status=live}}

{{Main|Rust and Bone (soundtrack)}}

File:De rouille et d'os Cannes 2012.jpg

The film premiered on 17 May 2012 in competition at the 65th Cannes Film Festival,{{cite web|url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/assets/File/WEB%202012/horaires_proj/Horaire%202012_grand_2.pdf|title=Screenings Guide|website=Cannes Film Festival|access-date=27 May 2012|archive-date=18 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130418112144/http://www.festival-cannes.com/assets/File/WEB%202012/horaires_proj/Horaire%202012_grand_2.pdf|url-status=dead}} where it received rave reviews and a ten-minute standing ovation at the end of its screening.{{cite web |title=2012 Cannes Film Festival – Rust and Bone Premiere |url=http://video.marion-cotillard.org/view/373/2012-cannes-film-festival-premiere-1/ |work=Marion-Cotillard.org |access-date=8 May 2013 |date=17 May 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509063028/http://video.marion-cotillard.org/view/373/2012-cannes-film-festival-premiere-1/ |archive-date=9 May 2013 |df=dmy-all }} It was released in France and Belgium through UGC Distribution the same day.{{cite web|url=http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=172976.html|title=De rouille et d'os|language=fr|work=AlloCiné|publisher=Tiger Global|access-date=11 March 2012|archive-date=28 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120228095658/http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=172976.html|url-status=live}} StudioCanal UK acquired the British distribution rights, and the film was released in the UK on 2 November 2012. It opened in the United States through Sony Pictures Classics on 23 November 2012.{{cite web |title=Rust & Bone |url=http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=81832 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140505034933/http://www.comingsoon.net/films.php?id=81832 |archive-date=5 May 2014 |access-date=19 November 2012 |website=ComingSoon.net}}

The film was screened at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and received early positive critical reactions. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 82% based on 167 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Surging on strong performances from Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, Rust and Bone is as vibrant and messily unpredictable as life itself."{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/rust_and_bone/|title=Rust and Bone|work=Rotten Tomatoes|publisher=Flixster|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=18 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618184024/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/de_rouille_et_dos_2012|url-status=live}} Metacritic gave the film a rating of 73/100, based on 39 reviews.{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/rust-and-bone|title=Rust and Bone Reviews|work=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=15 June 2014|archive-date=27 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227105655/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/rust-and-bone|url-status=live}}

HitFix praised Audiard "for the way he takes melodramatic convention and bends it to his own particular sensibility, delivering a powerful tale about the reminders we all carry of the pains that have formed us" and found Cotillard's work "incredible, nuanced and real."{{cite web|last=McWeeny|first=Drew|title=Review: Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts devastate in Audiard's 'Rust and Bone'|url=http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/review-marion-cottilard-and-matthias-schoenaerts-devastate-in-audiards-rust-and-bone|work=HitFix|access-date=18 May 2012|date=17 May 2012|archive-date=19 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120519172012/http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/motion-captured/posts/review-marion-cottilard-and-matthias-schoenaerts-devastate-in-audiards-rust-and-bone|url-status=dead}}

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film a four-star rating out of five, writing Rust and Bone is "a passionate and moving love story which surges out of the screen like a flood tide" and "its candour and force are matched by the commitment and intelligence of its two leading players."{{cite web|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|title=Cannes 2012: Rust and Bone – review|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/may/17/rust-and-bone-review?newsfeed=true|work=The Guardian|access-date=18 May 2012|date=17 May 2012|archive-date=8 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140908223508/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2012/may/17/rust-and-bone-review?newsfeed=true|url-status=live}}

Time's Mary Corliss found that the romance is "sometimes engrossing, sometimes exasperating" and that the cinematography recalls Kings Row and An Affair to Remember." Corliss also wrote, "Schoenaerts exudes masculinity that is both effortless and troubled" while "Cotillard demonstrates again her eerie ability to write complex feelings on her face, as if from the inside, without grandstanding her emotions" and added, "her strong, subtle performance is gloriously winning on its own."{{cite magazine|last=Corliss|first=Mary|title=Rust and Bone: The Love Story of Two Cripples|url=https://entertainment.time.com/2012/05/17/rust-and-bone-the-love-story-of-two-cripples/|magazine=Time|access-date=18 May 2012|date=17 May 2012|archive-date=20 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120520121043/http://entertainment.time.com/2012/05/17/rust-and-bone-the-love-story-of-two-cripples/|url-status=live}}

Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune thought Schoenaerts' sensitive-brute instincts recall Marlon Brando and Tom Hardy.{{cite web |last=Phillips |first=Michael |date=17 May 2012 |title=Cannes 2012, Day 2: 'Rust and Bone,' with Marion Cotillard, gets early notice |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2012/05/17/cannes-2012-day-2-rust-and-bone-with-marion-cotillard-gets-early-notice/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120518203936/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-05-17/entertainment/chi-rust-and-bone-chicago-tribune-cannes-review-by-michael-phillips-20120517_1_marion-cotillard-cannes-festival-rust |archive-date=18 May 2012 |access-date=18 May 2012 |work=Chicago Tribune}}

Critic A. O. Scott of The New York Times called the film "a strong, emotionally replete experience, and also a tour de force of directorial button pushing."{{cite news|last=Scott|first=A. O.|title=Damaged Souls, Trying to Heal, Learning to Survive|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2012/11/23/movies/rust-and-bone-starring-marion-cotillard.html?smid=tw-nytimesmovies&seid=auto|newspaper=The New York Times|date=22 November 2012|access-date=3 January 2013}}

Roger Ebert, who did not review the film upon its original release, later gave it four stars in February 2013{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=2 February 2013 |title=Rust and Bone: Weaker at the broken places – Roger Ebert's Journal |url=http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/weaker-at-the-broken-places |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130509164624/http://www.rogerebert.com/rogers-journal/weaker-at-the-broken-places |archive-date=9 May 2013 |access-date=8 May 2013 |work=Chicago Sun-Times}} and said it was the latest title in his "Great Movies" collection.{{Cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=3 February 2013 |title=I didn't review "Rust and Bone" when it was released, but now I'm cutting straight to the chase. It's the latest title in my Great Movies Collection. I've posted it as a blog to make comment possible. |url=https://www.facebook.com/RogerEbert/posts/i-didnt-review-rust-and-bone-when-it-was-released-but-now-im-cutting-straight-to/446855112052618/ |website=Facebook}} However, Ebert's illness and subsequent death in April 2013 prevented him from adding the film to the list.{{Cite web |last=O'Malley |first=Sheila |date=31 August 2016 |title=Rust and Bone: One of the Best Films of 2012 |url=https://www.sheilaomalley.com/?p=120710 |website=sheilaomalley.com |quote=Roger Ebert wrote in his review that he would add it to his Great Movies list, but never got around to it, due to his illness at the time.}}

James Kaelan of MovieMaker wrote: "Besides Emmanuelle Riva in Amour and Isidora Simijonovic in Clip, I would argue strongly that no actress gave a better performance in 2012 than Cotillard in Rust and Bone, and it was a travesty she wasn't nominated for an Academy Award."{{Cite web |last=Kaelan |first=James |date=25 February 2013 |title=Why the Hell Didn’t Marion Cotillard Get an Oscar Nomination for Rust and Bone? |url=https://www.moviemaker.com/masculinfeminin-academy-award-winner-marion-cotillard-proves-fearless-actresses-alive/ |website=MovieMaker |access-date=18 June 2023 |archive-date=21 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021105906/https://www.moviemaker.com/masculinfeminin-academy-award-winner-marion-cotillard-proves-fearless-actresses-alive/ |url-status=live }}

Cate Blanchett wrote a review for Variety praising Marion Cotillard's performance in the film, describing it as "simply astonishing", stating that "Marion has created a character of nobility and candour, seamlessly melding herself into a world we could not have known without her. Her performance is as unexpected and as unsentimental and raw as the film itself."{{cite web |title=Cate Blanchett on Marion Cotillard in 'Rust and Bone' |url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/cate-blanchett-on-marion-cotillard-in-rust-and-bone-1118062441/ |work=Variety |access-date=8 May 2013 |date=26 November 2012 |archive-date=4 March 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304201300/http://variety.com/2012/film/news/cate-blanchett-on-marion-cotillard-in-rust-and-bone-1118062441/ |url-status=live }}

In France, Rust and Bone was released to 394 screens, where it debuted at number one at the box office and sold a total of 1,930.536 million tickets.{{cite web |title=De rouille et d'os (Rust and Bone) (2012) |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=12744&view=2 |work=JPBox-Office |access-date=18 July 2022 |archive-date=22 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211122135845/http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=12744&view=2 |url-status=live }}

The film grossed a total of $25.8 million worldwide.

• 2012 in film
• Cinema of France
• Cinema of Belgium
• Disability in the arts
• List of mixed martial arts films
• List of films featuring mental disorders

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|http://www.rustandbone.com}}
• {{IMDb title|2053425|Rust and Bone}}
• {{Rotten Tomatoes|rust_and_bone|Rust and Bone}}
• {{Metacritic film|title=Rust and Bone}}
• {{Mojo title|rustandbone|Rust and Bone}}

{{Jacques Audiard}}

{{Thomas Bidegain}}

{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Foreign Language Film of the Year}}

{{London Film Festival Award for Best Film}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rust And Bone}}

Category:2012 films

Category:2012 romantic drama films

Category:2012 independent films

Category:2010s French films

Category:2010s French-language films

Category:Belgian romantic drama films

Category:Belgian independent films

Category:French independent films

Category:Best Film, London Film Festival winners

Category:Films set on the French Riviera

Category:Films about amputees

Category:Films about disability in France

Category:Films directed by Jacques Audiard

Category:Films scored by Alexandre Desplat

Category:Films set in amusement parks

Category:Films set in France

Category:Films shot in France

Category:Films shot in Liège

Category:Films shot in Brussels

Category:Films shot in Belgium

Category:Films whose director won the Best Director Lumières Award

Category:Films based on Canadian short stories

Category:Films with screenplays by Jacques Audiard

Category:Films with screenplays by Thomas Bidegain

Category:French-language Belgian films

Category:French romantic drama films

Category:Mixed martial arts films

Category:Sony Pictures Classics films

Category:StudioCanal films

Category:Les Films du Fleuve films

Category:French-language independent films

Category:2010s Belgian films

Category:French-language romantic drama films

Category:Films produced by Jacques Audiard