Love as I know it | Rust and Bone (2012)
When you lose, that whole ground beneath your feet suddenly falls appart. Second comes the adrenaline rush. Actually, it all happens so fast that it almost feels good — as if you won actually. Only this time, you can’t seem to bounce back on your feet.
Rust and Bone opens with a sun-kissed image of a town in Côte d’Azur, a setting which losses its glamour in the wake of Alain’s life, (Matthias Schoenaerts) a struggling father who is trying to settle for a better living with his son, Sam.
Alain gets a job as a bodyguard in a nightclub where he meets (and greets) Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) in a cringe worthy #metoo manner, calling her a whore for the way she is dressed. In her own words, he is later ”surprised a whore can train orcas”. Yes, you’ve heard it well — we’re introduced to an unapologetic and blunt character, and eager to see Marion deliver yet another striking performance. Needless to say, neither of the two actors disappoint.
Alain is outspoken, but tactless when dealing with the other characters. Lacking any emotional presence, he tries to establish a disciplined lifestyle, seeking ways to earn other’s trust but losing the one of his family.
Stephanie is an odd mix of femininity and self-imposed authority, a trait that is most visible as a dominating whale trainer. However, the space that she controls the most is also where she loses herself, after an accident leaves her without her legs.
You couldn’t ask for a more random reconnection between the two from their first encounter. However, the camera’s return to sunny shots of the French town when Steph and Ali reconnect and go to the beach reveal not only a change of scenery, (Steph’s first outing since the accident) but also a change of dynamic between the two. As the light gets into your eyes, you tend to refuse staring directly into the screen, just as she refuses to be assisted by Alain. But then you get used to the light, and Steph surrenders as well, in order to take back her sense of freedom in the water.
As their diving rendez-vous develop, so does their bond. However predictable the story might sound, this one is textured so exquisitely that (FINALLY!) it doesn’t fall into the trap of relationships that simply happen and succeed to solve the pain of two characters by default. On the contrary, captured in dynamic widescreen closeups, every sequence which seems to encourage any of the bonds is quickly dropped, showing how blithely unaware the characters are about the nature of their relationship.
The audience is spared nothing, as the film explicitly shows the many trials and errors Alain and Stephanie have to go through to get to respect and understand each other. And most of the trials are ironically, against their lost selves.
In spite of their trials and flickering successes, the two will not go through a revelatory moment — they will not change overnight, or discover their passionate love which was always there, waiting in silence like a loyal dog. Yes, of course we have the triumphant scenes: as Springsteen plays “State Trooper”, Stephanie gets a hot car, a tattoo, starts dealing Alain’s boxing matches and kisses ; Alain’s relationship with his son rekindles over two extreme poles: they share warm baths in the summer sea, and slide together on a risky surfaced ice rink.
But most of all, the movie’s forte stands in how it shows more interest in restoring Steph and Alain’s survival instincts, rather than consuming the idea of romance.
For those who’ve been through a recent breakup or a one-night stand disappointment, go ahead and approach Rust and Bone without any second thoughts. It won’t aim to make you fight for lost love, but to fight your way back on that ground.
