Golden Globe®-nominee Best Foreign Language Film (French) and Best Actress in a Drama, Marion Cotillard RUST AND BONE Recommended by Whom You Know We Are Thrilled to Continue Our Coverage of Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Our Coverage Sponsored by Paul Mayer Attitudes
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If you are one to watch movies with depth and meaning, that confronts the challenges of life straight on, Rust and Bone is for you. We are expanding our coverage of foreign language films in French by Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Intouchables was given our Highest Recommendation last week)! Again, we re-emphasize that it is totally irrelevant that you are watching a non-English film as French is such a beautiful language and the subtitles are in English, and furthermore, the acting by this cast, particularly Marion Cotillard who is simply stellar, is so convincing and top-notch that verbal language is secondary to body language. You would think life as an orca trainer in the French equivalent of Marineland would be sunshine and rainbows and it may be for some time, but as reality sets in both domestically on the home front and horrifically when a catastrophe fractures her body and life, Stephanie (Marion Cotillard) must confront the darker side of life and show us that it is only the depths of darkness that can truly make the little things in life the quite big things-like swimming in the ocean. The first movie we ever reviewed was Dolphin Tale, and there were parts of Rust and Bone that reminded us of life in a Sea-World type of setting.
Life is also not a bowl of cherries for son Sam and father Ali, as they move in with Ali's sister, who herself is lifting expired food from her workplace, and husband. From scavenging for food on the train to shoplifting at convenience stores, Ali shows he has few ethics and is a slave to his desires early on. Though at first the audience may wonder what kind of example all of this is setting for the child, it becomes clear through intelligent character development and script execution that though the father/son relationship is tattered and strained, there is a genuine love there and Ali does become stable as he secures a job as a security guard at a club where he meets maiden in distress, Stephanie. He drives her home, and insists on ice for his injuries only to find out she is not quite the bachelorette we might have supposed. Ali still leaves his number though, just in case. You just never know.
As you get to know both Stephanie and Ali, the audience is drawn into intimate details of their lives and understands the adversity they face independently, especially Stephanie as she wakes up in the hospital and all has gone quiet in her life. The use of dramatic lighting in such scenes created the appropriate aura of despair, particularly when coupled with the sorrowful music. There must have been something there, however, as she has saved his number and rings him up with courage, in her newfound state. Ali shows he has a heart by being her friend when she truly needs one.
We admire Stephanie's independent streak that shines through her physical challenges-she still wants to be able to do everything she once did (you don't need shoes when you don't have legs, until you get prosthetics, that is!), and the best therapy is when she goes to the beach and Ali carries her into the water. We're not sure there would be a better medicine for Stephanie, and the real heart-clinching moment happens when she returns to Marineland, and is recognized by the Ocra who remember her and still execute her commands, now through the glass. Katy Perry's Fireworks was the ideal choice here.
As Stephanie's convalescence evolves, we see Ali switching careers to the more lucrative and far more bloody street fighting. (we seem to have missed the accompanying hockey game...) Sticking by him, Stephanie shows she equally has a heart if not even more so, bravely showing that she does not want him to end up like her and supports him by coming to his fights and later managing them when the boss is out, and also insists on a quality relationship with consideration and manners.
One of our favorite scenes in addition to the Ocra/Stephanie reunion is that of the Winter Wonderland in Strasbourg, until tragedy strikes there as well. The many breakthroughs of Rust and Bone are sure to deliver an emotional rollercoaster to you, which you'll find ultimately rewarding.
When life is this hard, it is easier to take when it's delivered so beautifully in French. Rust and Bone is not only masterfully executed by highly talented actors, but also it is an original breath of fresh air into the movie market showing a reality that many films do not reach. Whom You Know Recommends Rag and Bone!
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Sony Pictures Classics and Sony Pictures Home Entertainment are pleased to announce the Blu-ray™ and DVD release of Golden Globe® nominee (Best Foreign Language Film and Best Actress in a Drama, Marion Cotillard), RUST AND BONE on March 19th.
Directed by Academy Award®-nominee Jacques Audiard (2010, Best Foreign Language Film, A Prophet) and written by Audiard and Thomas Bidegain, the film is loosely based on Craig Davidson’s short story collection of the same name, and stars Academy Award®-winner Marion Cotillard (2007 Best Actress, La Vie en Rose) and Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead).
In addition to its Golden Globe nominations, RUST AND BONE was chosen as Best Film by the BFI London Film Festival, and Cotillard was awarded Actress of the Year by the Hollywood Film Festival. Cotillard was also nominated for SAG and BAFTA Awards for her lead performance. An official 2012 selection of the Toronto International Film Festival, the Cannes Film Festival and the Telluride Film Festival, the film was also nominated for Best International Film by the Independent Spirit Awards and
Best Film Not in the English Language by the BAFTA Awards.
Special features on the Blu-ray and DVD will include a commentary track with Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain, six deleted scenes with commentary, and two featurettes: The “VFX Breakdown by Mikros” and “Making Rust and Bone: A Film by Antonin Peretjatko,” giving a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film. The Blu-ray and DVD also come with “On the Red Carpet: Toronto International Film Festival,” capturing cast and crew on the red carpet, answering questions and introducing the film for the TIFF screening.
Synopsis
From the director of the multi-award-winning A Prophet, comes a gripping tale of two souls finding strength from each other after tragedy reunites them. Marion Cotillard (Academy Award® winner, 2008, Best Actress, La Vie En Rose) gives a tour-de-force performance as Stephanie, an orca trainer whose life is transformed when tragedy strikes during a show. Faced with unbearable circumstances she turns to Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts, Bullhead), a street boxer amidst his own battle of life-changing events. As their stories intersect, they navigate a gritty relationship in a world where love and courage appear in many forms.
Special Features Include
Commentary with director/writer Jacques Audiard and co-writer Thomas Bidegain
Six deleted scenes with commentary
Making Rust and Bone: A Film by Antonin Peretjatko
VFX Breakdown by Mikros
On the Red Carpet: Toronto International Film Festival
Rust and Bone was directed by Jacques Audiard and co-written by Audiard and Thomas Bidegain, based on “Rust and Bone” by Craig Davidson. The film was produced by Jacques Audiard, Martine Cassinelli and Pascal Caucheteux and stars Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts.
Rust and Bone has a running time of 120 minutes and is rated R for strong sexual content, brief graphic nudity, some violence and language. The film is in French with English subtitles.
"Academy Award®" and "Oscar®" are the registered trademarks and service marks of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com.
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