Rust and Bone (2012)

2/5

Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone is an overwhelmingly punishing film. The movie is filled with relentless sadness. It's not so much a love story as it is a character study. Two, in fact. We are introduced to Ali (Schoenaerts), an unemployed father who makes money participating in street fights, and Stéphanie (Cotillard), a whale trainer who loses her legs after a freak accident. They begin an uneasy friendship that progresses to an unhealthy relationship. The duo are hit time and time again by pain, hardship, and bad luck. It seems to never end. And love does not conquer all, if there is any to be found in this movie.

Cotillard, as always, plays her role to perfection, eliciting subtleties and complexities that could not have been written in any script. The range she is capable of in her face alone seems limitless. She puts Schoenaerts to shame, making him about as forgettable as his character. Thanks to its tremendous performances, the movie strikes deep. Far too deep. I hated it when I saw people make the wrong decisions, when they acted selfish or hurtful, when they got what was coming to them. It all seemed too human and honest and genuine.

I don't say this lightly, because I am a huge fan of Audiard's other works (The Beat That My Heart Skipped, A Prophet), but Rust and Bone was a disappointing and unwelcome film. Not because it's a bad movie, but because it is too effective. It devastated me. It's hard to articulate how I felt at the end of the 2 hours: exhausted, frustrated, with just a tinge of hope to make sure nobody commits suicide after watching it. It's not a pick-me-up so much as it is a put-me-down. And you will be depressed for some time after watching it. If this does not seem like your type of movie, then avoid it. If this does, then let me know and I can recommend some good psychiatrists to go with it.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2053425/

A Prophet (2009)

4.9/5

Jacques Audiard's A Prophet tells the story of 19-year-old Malik (Rahim). He is sentenced to prison for 6 years for assaulting a cop. He is very rapidly educated on the prison hierarchy and code. On the first day he is kicked and beaten for his sneakers. On the second day he is extended a proposition by Luciani (Arestrup): kill newcomer Reyeb (Yacoubi) or be killed. Liking neither option, he attacks another prisoner in the hopes that he is sent to solitary confinement. But he discovers that Luciani is the prison overlord and he has influence even over the security guards. Malik must accept. He is instructed on how to conceal a razor blade in his mouth. At the right moment, he will grip it between his teeth and slit Reyeb's carotid artery. He practices many times in front of a mirror, every mistake causing blood to flow from his lips. When the time finally comes, he messes up. And it leaves him trembling.

This is only the beginning of the film. It still has 6 years and 2 hours to go. We come to care for Malik. We sympathize with him. And because we like him, we root for him. We want him to rob efficiently, threaten brutally, and kill successfully. We want him to climb the ladder as high as possible to get the revenge he deserves. We quickly forget that he is a criminal. We ourselves get indoctrinated into the values of the prison world, on the importance of power and respect above all else. And when the film ends, we can only watch in silence and awe at the person he becomes.

The movie is impeccably directed, from the visceral cinematography to the tense editing. Every technical aspect in this movie is astounding to see. The film offers plenty of social commentary in its thematics to ponder and discuss, but the acting is where this movie shines. Rahim and Arestrup are absolutely mesmerizing. We believe them every second of the film. From terrified to terrifying and vice versa, these actors play characters who hide their emotions as much as possible and they do it with the necessary subtlety and nuance. Their transformation is so gradual that it turns invisible, believable, and all the more shocking. It is a phenomenal achievement. And one that should not be missed.

IMDb link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1235166/

Read My Lips (2001)

4/5

Read My Lips is a nail-biting, character-based French crime thriller. In it, we see a painfully real portrait of an average woman wanting to be more attractive, more successful, but above all more normal. As the movie progresses, these layers are revealed in a subtle, nuanced performance by Emmanuelle Devos. It reminded me very much of the protagonist in Walter Salles's Central Station--imperfect, making mistakes, and changing ever so slowly. The other characters are somewhat less developed in my opinion, but her partner in crime is played pitch-perfectly by Vincent Cassel. I wasn't as impressed with his performance here as I have been in other movies he's been in, but it was still remarkably spot-on.

In comparison to the other Audiard movie I've seen (The Beat That My Heart Skipped), this one is more plot-oriented and less of a character study. That being said, it still has incredibly strong and believable characters. And a tense, engaging plot from the very beginning. I knew nothing about the story going in, but was pulled in and couldn't escape its grasp until released at its finale. This is in large part due to unerring editing and pacing, matched by beautiful cinematography and evocative aural and visual post-production choices. Still, some plot elements at the end didn't make much sense. And I didn't understand the side story with the parole officer looking for his wife. It was just bizarre. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys tense crime thrillers and/or Jacques Audiard.

IMDb link: http://imdb.com/title/tt0274117/