Rust and Bone (De rouille et d'os) is an Incredibly Raw, Emotional Journey Powered by Brave Performances from Marion Cotillard and Matthais Schoenaerts

Rust and Bone-De rouille et d'os (4 out of 5 Stars)

Directed by Jaques Audiard (A Prophet-Un Prophete)

Written by Jaques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain (A Prophet-Un Prophete)

Starring: Marion Cotillard, Matthais Schoenaerts, and Armand Verdue

Some of the best film experiences for me have been when I go into a film without having seen a preview or knowing what the film was about.  With Rust and Bone  or De rouille et d'os the French title) I had this experience.  One of my friends went to Los Angeles premiere about a month or so ago and told me I had to see the film.  That was the only thing I had hear.  Rust and Bone ended up being in  an incredibly raw, emotional journey powered by brave performances, and strong writing/direction.

The film follows the interaction between two people Ali (Schoenaerts) and Stephanie (Cotillard) as they both deal with life changing events.  Ali has just gained custody of his young son Sam after Sam's mother was using the boy as a drug mule.  The film opens with the two struggling to find their way from Belgium to get to Antibes where Ali's sister lives.  Ali wants to be a better father, find a job, but his own personal journey continues to knock him out (sometimes literally as a fighter, and kick boxer).  One night while Ali is working as security at a club he meets Stephanie.  Stephanie is attacked at the club, and Ali helps her get.  Stephanie works with killer whales at a show, and after an intense accident her life becomes intertwined with Ali.  

These two continue to face brutal sequences throughout the entire film.  Both are fragile characters faced with many challenges as they deal with their own fragility.  Stephanie's accident bonds these two people, together they find a familiar comfort in each other's dark recesses. There are moments when you hold your breath thinking how is this possible, and you ultimately leave the film feeling raw.  Rust takes you on an incredibly brutal journey, that may not appear to be original, but there is something brilliant about the way this film is constructed.

Audiard's story is a simple dramatic story, which has been told before, much like something from Mike Leigh and Ken Loach.  The story is a simple drama, but it's the craft behind the film which helps set the film a part.  The shots of Cotillard and Schoenaerts in the water steal your breath away, as well as the images of the whales crashing through the water. Audiard also transports you well into the working class world, or lower class world of France.  Most films I have seen about France, tend to focus on Paris, or the beauty of the country, while this film knows the ins and outs of the darker aspects.  As you watch this story unfold that often familiar is also changed by the editing, which uniquely helps to tell the story in a way that while sometimes jolting is more inspiring.

While these elements help set the film a part the true stars, which help tell the story best are Marion Cotillard,  and Matthais Schoenaerts.  Cotillard is a regular name in the States; she has starred in numerous box office successes like The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Public Enemies, and already has an Oscar to her name.  Watching Cotillard delve in Stephanie's vulnerabilities is nothing short of brilliant.  Even when Cotillard plays someone struggling to come to terms with tragedy, there is such a strong presence within her acting that you get lost in her performances, and this film is no different.  

I have never had the privilege to Matthais Schoenaerts on screen before, but I will certainly look for his past work, and look for anything he plans to do in the future.  Schoenaert's Ali is one of the most complex characters I have seen in film this year, and Schoenaert commands the screen.  Watching him be a brutal asshole, yet hilarious is a hard feet to accomplish, but he does so with ease.  Watching Ali struggle as he finds his companionship with Stephanie, is heartbreakingly honest.  Together their duo convey love and appreciation, as the deal with one brutal sequence after another.

Rust and Bone is one of those harsh films, which often brings to light some of the darkest moments.  The film leaves you thinking about the way people struggle through life to find themselves while their lives intertwine with other people.  How do we as humans know ourselves, and care for others.  Rust deals some brutal blows to the human psyche, and there are moments where you freeze in your seat, thinking how can this happen.  The film is an incredible testimony to the human soul.

The Dark Knight Rises to Meet the Expectations of Truly Impressive Conclusion

The Dark Knights Rises (4 out of 5)

Directed by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception, Memento)

Written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan (Memento)

Starring: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman

Last night I was able to experience all three Batman films from Christopher Nolan back to back. What a way to watch this "trilogy!"  Batman Begins started at 6:30, and set the pace from one of the entertaining film experiences I have ever had.  The film series has changed the face of "comic book" or pulp film, and this film is the largest undertaking for Nolan to date within this series.

The films starts eight years after The Dark Knight, Batman and Bruce Wayne have both disappeared from the public since the fall of Harvey Dent.  Batman is public enemy number one for the police, and Wayne himself has isolated himself from the outside world because he felt as though he failed at saving Gotham, and its people from the chaos the Joker imposed.  Bruce Wayne is drawn back in the world of Batman when a cat burglar named Selina Kyle (Hathaway) breaks into his home stealing his finger prints.  This thief leads way to another criminal mastermind Bane (Hardy( who wants to release Gotham from the chains of the government and take chaos to a whole new level.

Revealing any more of the plot would the pure enjoyment for audiences.  The film is epic and Christopher Nolan has taken on some mammoth productions in the past, but this films large scale ups the ante.  Nolan has tied together some modern elements of societal problems within this film like within his other films to make this world more salient.  Financial troubles are at the center of this film, and mistrust of the government.  In the current socio-political/economic climate (on a global level) there is a mistrust of those who were born with silver spoons in their mouth.  There are numerous points in the film when characters like Selina Kyle and others point out the fact that Bruce has never had to struggle financially so he does not understand the way these "villains" have built up this fierce anger and hatred toward those who have never had to fight or even work for what they needed.

As Wayne Batman have grown weaker and goes further into seclusion the League of Shadows new leader Bane becomes "Gotham's reckoning."  Hardy does not get to act in the same fashion Heath Ledger did with his version of the Joker, but the Bane villain is different.  Bane wears a mouthpiece because of something when he was younger, the apparatus on his face keeps him alive.  People are going to complain they can't understand Bane, although it was much better in this film than in the initial test screening.  Bane represents more than an agent of chaos; he wants to turn Gotham inside out, and has no fear about bringing the people of Gotham to their knees.

Selina Kyle wants to see the people of Gotham suffer too.  Kyle's cat burglar is done incredibly well; she does purr, or become overly cat like, she is more of a bad ass acrobat.  Hathaway does a great job with being sultry, and has incredible chemistry with Bale.  The character never feels out of place like I thought it would.  The other female in the film Miranda Tate (Cotillard) is the financial savior for Wayne Enterprises, the character is a bit bland throughout and has sexual encounter with Bruce Wayne that does not seem to make sense because of Kyle, but the end result is brilliant.  

Another new character on the scene is John Blake (Gordon-Levitt) a cop who becomes a detective.  Through John's eyes the story tells a sign of the hope youth have in the the symbol of someone like Batman who will come in and save the day.  Gordon-Levitt is a great addition to this film, and it fits that Gary Oldman's Commissioner Gordon (one of the best working actors) finally has a cop on his side who understands what Batman represents.

Batman himself or the broken Bruce Wayne played by Christian Bale has evolved so much.  Watching Bale in all three films yesterday have proven to show that not only has this man grown as an actor, but he truly has taken fans of this franchise on an evolutionary journey with this character.  Bale's Bruce Wayne and Batman has taken flight within this film, and this is one great performance. 

While Bale and Nolan do an incredible job within this film, there are still flaws that exist.  Some will call this film "clunky" and while I disagree with that label I can see where the boom can over power.  The opening sequence tries to replicate the introduction of the Joker, but there is no way to repeat that brilliant introduction.  Hans Zimmer's score for this film has moments where the music overpowers the dialogue or becomes to bombastic, but yet there are also the quiet moments when the score reveals some of the most wrought moments.  There were times in the beginning when Nolan seemed to be going in too many directions with too many characters, but the film filtered that, and even as the end (like in The Dark Knight) feels as though its taking too long to get there you are on the edge of your seat because of the built up with anticipation.

As a comic book reader this film hit it out the park with some of the most interesting Batman stories.  While I know Nolan wants to end the story with this film, and it feels like it could be an ending there are so many stories to explore further.  If this is the end, as Nolan states this was an incredible way to end this series, and I feel as though the closure given provides enough on an opportunity for the caped crusader to disappear into the night.