Rust and Bone
2012 film directed by Jacques Audiard
title: "Rust and Bone" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2012-films", "2012-romantic-drama-films", "2012-independent-films", "2012-french-films", "2010s-french-language-films", "belgian-romantic-drama-films", "belgian-independent-films", "french-independent-films", "best-film,-london-film-festival-winners", "films-set-on-the-french-riviera", "films-about-amputees", "films-about-disability-in-france", "films-directed-by-jacques-audiard", "films-scored-by-alexandre-desplat", "films-set-in-amusement-parks", "films-set-in-france", "films-shot-in-france", "films-shot-in-liège", "films-shot-in-brussels", "films-shot-in-belgium", "films-whose-director-won-the-best-director-lumières-award", "films-based-on-canadian-short-stories", "films-with-screenplays-by-jacques-audiard", "films-with-screenplays-by-thomas-bidegain", "french-language-belgian-films", "french-romantic-drama-films", "mixed-martial-arts-films", "why-not-productions-films", "sony-pictures-classics-films", "studiocanal-films", "les-films-du-fleuve-films", "french-language-independent-films", "2012-belgian-films", "french-language-romantic-drama-films", "films-produced-by-jacques-audiard", "films-featuring-a-most-promising-actor-césar-award–winning-performance"] description: "2012 film directed by Jacques Audiard" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rust_and_Bone" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 2012 film directed by Jacques Audiard ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox film"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Rust and Bone |
| native_name | |
| image | Rust and Bone poster.jpg |
| caption | Theatrical release poster |
| director | Jacques Audiard |
| producer | {{Plainlist |
| screenplay | {{Plainlist |
| based_on | |
| starring | Marion Cotillard |
| Matthias Schoenaerts | |
| music | Alexandre Desplat |
| cinematography | Stéphane Fontaine |
| editing | Juliette Welfling |
| studio | {{Plainlist |
| distributor | {{Plainlist |
| released | |
| runtime | 123 minutes |
| country | {{Plainlist |
| language | French |
| budget | €15.5 million |
| ($22 million) | |
| gross | $25.8 million |
| :: |
| name = Rust and Bone | native_name = | image = Rust and Bone poster.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Jacques Audiard | producer = {{Plainlist|
- Jacques Audiard
- Martine Cassinelli
- Pascal Caucheteux
- Alix Raynaud | screenplay = {{Plainlist|
- Jacques Audiard
- Thomas Bidegain | based_on = | starring = Marion Cotillard Matthias Schoenaerts | music = Alexandre Desplat | cinematography = Stéphane Fontaine | editing = Juliette Welfling | studio = {{Plainlist|
- Why Not Productions
- Canal+
- Ciné+
- France Télévisions
- Les Films du Fleuve | distributor = {{Plainlist|
- UGC Distribution (France)
- Lumière (Benelux) | released = | runtime = 123 minutes | country = {{Plainlist|
- France
- Belgium | language = French | budget = €15.5 million ($22 million) | gross = $25.8 million Rust and Bone () is a 2012 romantic drama film directed by Jacques Audiard, starring Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts, based on Craig Davidson's 2005 short story collection Rust and Bone. It tells the story of a nightclub bouncer who falls in love with a woman who trains killer whales and loses her legs in a workplace accident. The film was released theatrically in France and Belgium on 17 May 2012 through UGC Distribution and Lumière, respectively.
Rust and Bone received generally positive reviews from critics, especially for Cotillard and Schoenaerts' performances. It was a critical and box office hit in France where it sold 1.9 million tickets, and was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award, two Golden Globes, two BAFTA Awards, five Lumière Awards, winning two; three Magritte Awards, and nine César Awards, winning four, including Most Promising Actor for Schoenaerts.
Plot
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.
Cast
- 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
Production
Development
The project was announced by Variety on 7 September 2011. Director Jacques Audiard co-wrote the screenplay for Rust and Bone with Thomas Bidegain based on two short stories from Craig Davidson's 2005 short story collection of the same title, "Rust and Bone" and "Rocket Ride". The film was produced by Why Not Productions for €15.4 million. It was co-produced with France 2 Cinéma, Page 114 and the Belgian company Les Films du Fleuve.
To prepare for the role, Marion Cotillard took swimming lessons and spent a week at Marineland to learn how to direct whales. 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."
The special effects were provided by French company Mikros Image. One of the key methods used was to have Cotillard wear green knee length socks. The legs below her knees were erased by computer or replaced with the image of prosthetic lower legs.
Filming
Filming started on 4 October 2011 and lasted eight weeks. Locations were used in Antibes, Cannes, Belgium, Paris, northern France, Liège and Brussels.
Music
Main article: Rust and Bone (soundtrack)
Release
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/De_rouille_et_d'os_Cannes_2012.jpg" caption="Marion Cotillard, Jacques Audiard, and Matthias Schoenaerts at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival."] ::
The film premiered on 17 May 2012 in competition at the 65th Cannes Film Festival, where it received rave reviews and a ten-minute standing ovation at the end of its screening. It was released theatrically the same day in France and Belgium through UGC Distribution and Lumière, respectively. StudioCanal UK acquired the British distribution rights,
Critical reception
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." Metacritic gave the film a rating of 73/100, based on 39 reviews.
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."
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."
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."
Michael Phillips of the Chicago Tribune thought Schoenaerts' sensitive-brute instincts recall Marlon Brando and Tom Hardy.
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."
Roger Ebert, who did not review the film upon its original release, later gave it four stars in February 2013 and said it was the latest title in his "Great Movies" collection. However, Ebert's illness and subsequent death in April 2013 prevented him from adding the film to the list.
James Kaelan of MovieMaker wrote: "Besides Emmanuelle Riva in Amour (2012) and Isidora Simijonovic in Clip (2012), 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."
Industry reception
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."
Box office
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. The film grossed a total of $25.8 million worldwide.
Awards and nominations
::data[format=table]
| List of accolades | Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cannes Film Festival | Palme d'Or | Jacques Audiard | |||
| César Awards | Best Film | ||||
| Best Director | |||||
| Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | ||||
| Most Promising Actor | Matthias Schoenaerts | ||||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain | ||||
| Best Original Score | Alexandre Desplat | ||||
| Best Cinematography | Stéphane Fontaine | ||||
| Best Editing | Juliette Welfling | ||||
| Best Sound | Brigitte Taillandier, Pascal Villard and Jean-Paul Hurier | ||||
| Étoiles d'Or | Best Film | Jacques Audiard | |||
| Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | ||||
| Best Male Newcomer | Matthias Schoenaerts | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain | ||||
| Globes de Cristal Award | Best Film | Jacques Audiard | |||
| Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | ||||
| AACTA Awards | Best International Actress | ||||
| BFI London Film Festival | Best Film | Jacques Audiard | |||
| Lumière Awards | Best Director | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain | ||||
| Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | ||||
| Best Actor | Matthias Schoenaerts | ||||
| Best Film | Jacques Audiard | ||||
| British Independent Film Awards | Best International Independent Film | Rust and Bone | |||
| British Academy of Film and Television Arts | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Marion Cotillard | |||
| Best Film Not in the English Language | Rust and Bone | ||||
| Broadcast Film Critics Association | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | |||
| Best Foreign Language Film | Rust and Bone | ||||
| Cabourg Film Festival | Best Film | Jacques Audiard | |||
| Crested Butte Film Festival | Best Narrative Feature | ||||
| Chlotrudis Awards | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | |||
| Best Actor | Matthias Schoenaerts | ||||
| Best Director | Jacques Audiard | ||||
| David di Donatello Awards | Best European Film | ||||
| Golden Trailer Awards | Best Foreign TV Spot – For "Sexy Action" | Rust and Bone | |||
| Best Foreign TV Spot – For "Reviews TV:30" | |||||
| Hawaii International Film Festival | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | |||
| Best Film | Jacques Audiard | ||||
| Irish Film and Television Awards | Best International Actress | Marion Cotillard | |||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Foreign-Language Film | Rust and Bone | |||
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Foreign Language Film | ||||
| Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama | Marion Cotillard | ||||
| Golden Reel Awards | Best Sound Editing: Sound Effects, Foley, Dialogue and ADR in an Animation Feature Film | Rust and Bone | |||
| Goya Awards | Best European Film | ||||
| Hollywood Film Festival | Best Actress of the Year | Marion Cotillard | |||
| Sant Jordi Awards | Best Foreign Actress | ||||
| Online Film Critics Society Awards | Best Film Not in the English Language | Rust and Bone | |||
| Dublin Film Critics Circle | Best Film | ||||
| Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | ||||
| Best Actor | Matthias Schoenaerts | ||||
| Rembrandt Awards | Best International Actress | Marion Cotillard | |||
| North Carolina Film Critics Association | Best Foreign Language Film | Jacques Audiard | |||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | Best Film | ||||
| Best Foreign Film | |||||
| Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | ||||
| Best Actor | Matthias Schoenaerts | ||||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain | ||||
| Houston Film Critics Society | Best Foreign Language Film | Rust and Bone | |||
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best International Film | ||||
| London Film Critics' Circle | Foreign Language Film of the Year | ||||
| Technical Achievement Award | Alexandre Desplat (music) | ||||
| Magritte Awards | Best Actor | Matthias Schoenaerts | |||
| Best Foreign Film in Coproduction | Rust and Bone | ||||
| Best Supporting Actor | Bouli Lanners | ||||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Marion Cotillard | |||
| Telluride Film Festival | Silver Medallion | ||||
| Valladolid International Film Festival | Best Actor | Matthias Schoenaerts | |||
| Best Director | Jacques Audiard | ||||
| Best Screenplay | Craig Davidson, Thomas Bidegain, Jacques Audiard | ||||
| International Cinephile Society | Best Film Not on the English Language | Rust and Bone | |||
| Best Actress (Runner-up) | Marion Cotillard | ||||
| Best Adapted Screenplay | Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain | ||||
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | |||
| Visual Effects Society Awards | Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Feature Motion Picture | Béatrice Bauwens, Cédric Fayolle, Nicolas Rey, Stéphane Thibert | |||
| Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards | Best Actress | Marion Cotillard | |||
| Best Foreign Language Film | Rust and Bone | ||||
| World Soundtrack Awards | Soundtrack Composer of the Year | Alexandre Desplat | |||
| :: |
References
References
- (7 September 2012). "''De Rouille Et D'os – Rust and Bone'' (15)". [[British Board of Film Classification]].
- "Les plus gros budgets de films français de 2012".
- (7 September 2011). "Marion Cotillard to topline 'Rust and Bone'".
- "Rust and Bone".
- Hammond, Pete. (17 May 2012). "Women Dominate Early Competition Films As Marion Cotillard Hits The Festival For The First Time: Cannes".
- Brown, Emma. (16 November 2012). "Jacques Audiard's Flesh and Blood".
- "Audiovisuel et Médias - Audiovisuel".
- Hohenadel, Kristin. (16 November 2012). "Wrestling a New Role into Its Full Rebirth". [[The New York Times]].
- Topel, Fred. (19 November 2012). "The Cinema of My Country: Marion Cotillard on Rust and Bone". AtomicOnline.
- (5 June 2012). "RUST & BONE: Cedric Fayolle - VFX Supervisor - Mikros Image - The Art of VFXThe Art of VFX".
- (7 December 2016). "RUST AND BONE: Making of by Mikros Image - The Art of VFXThe Art of VFX".
- Risley, Matt. (February 11, 2013). "World Exclusive - Rust And Bone's CGI Magic Video". gamesradar.
- (6 June 2012). "Liège: une scène du film "De Rouille et d’Os "tournée à l’hôpital de la Citadelle".
- Lemercier, Fabien. (7 October 2011). "Cotillard stars as killer whale trainer in Audiard's ''Rust and Bone''". [[Cineuropa]].
- "Screenings Guide".
- "2012 Official Selection". Cannes.
- "Cannes Film Festival 2012 line-up announced". Time Out.
- (17 May 2012). "2012 Cannes Film Festival – Rust and Bone Premiere". Marion-Cotillard.org.
- "Rust & Bone (De rouille et d’os)".
- "De rouille et d'os". [[Tiger Management.
- "Rust and Bone". Flixster.
- "Rust and Bone Reviews". CBS Interactive.
- McWeeny, Drew. (17 May 2012). "Review: Marion Cotillard and Matthias Schoenaerts devastate in Audiard's 'Rust and Bone'". [[HitFix]].
- Bradshaw, Peter. (17 May 2012). "Cannes 2012: Rust and Bone – review". [[The Guardian]].
- Corliss, Mary. (17 May 2012). "''Rust and Bone'': The Love Story of Two Cripples".
- Phillips, Michael. (17 May 2012). "Cannes 2012, Day 2: 'Rust and Bone,' with Marion Cotillard, gets early notice". [[Chicago Tribune]].
- Scott, A. O.. (22 November 2012). "Damaged Souls, Trying to Heal, Learning to Survive". [[The New York Times]].
- Ebert, Roger. (2 February 2013). "Rust and Bone: Weaker at the broken places – Roger Ebert's Journal". [[Chicago Sun-Times]].
- Ebert, Roger. (3 February 2013). "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.".
- O'Malley, Sheila. (31 August 2016). "Rust and Bone: One of the Best Films of 2012".
- Kaelan, James. (25 February 2013). "Why the Hell Didn’t Marion Cotillard Get an Oscar Nomination for ''Rust and Bone''?".
- (26 November 2012). "Cate Blanchett on Marion Cotillard in 'Rust and Bone'". [[Variety (magazine).
- (23 May 2012). "Cannes title Rust & Bone top opener at French box office". [[Screen Daily]].
- (30 May 2012). "Rust And Bone leads Cannes titles at int'l box office". Screen Daily.
- "De rouille et d'os (Rust and Bone) (2012)". JPBox-Office.
- "''César 2013: Liste Officielle Nominations 2013''".
- Garry, Maddox. (9 January 2013). "Jackman, Kidman up for AACTA awards". [[Fairfax Media]].
- Nordyke, Kimberly. (11 December 2012). "'Lincoln' Leads Critics' Choice Movie Awards Nominees With Record-Setting 13 Mentions". Prometheus Global Media.
- "2013, 19th Annual Awards".
- (14 December 2012). ""The Master" rules 2012 CFCA Awards with 10 Nominations".
- Olsen, Mark. (13 December 2012). "Golden Globe nominations 2013: Foreign category flies to France". [[Los Angeles Times]].
- "2013 Golden Reel Award Winners & Nominees: Feature Films".
- Sarda, Juan. (8 January 2013). "Blancanieves leads Spanish Goya nominations". [[Screen International]].
- Feinberg, Scott. (20 September 2012). "Hollywood Film Awards to Honor 'Rust and Bone' Actress Marion Cotillard (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Lodge, Guy. (16 December 2012). "'Lincoln' leads Houston Film Critics nods". [[HitFix]].
- "2012 Houston Film Critics Nominees – Winners".
- Kilday, Gregg. (27 November 2012). "'Silver Linings Playbook,' 'Moonrise Kingdom' Dominate Independent Spirit Awards Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter.
- (18 December 2012). "33rd Critics' Circle Film Awards Nominations".
- Leurquin, Anne-Sophie. (2 February 2013). "Quatre Magritte pour "A perdre la raison"". [[Le Soir]].
- Keegan, Rebecca. (13 December 2012). "SAG Awards 2013: 'Lincoln,' 'Argo' nods add clarity for Oscars". Los Angeles Times.
- "11th Annual VES Awards". visual effects society.
- Tapley, Kristopher. (10 December 2012). "'Lincoln' leads Washington DC Area film critics nominations, 'Zero Dark Thirty' wins". HitFix.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::