The Taste of Rust and Bone - Blu-Ray

Movie: Brawny, emotionally closed-off Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts) travels with his five-year-old son Sam (Armand Verdure) to visit his sister Anna (Corinne Masiero) on the Côte d`Azur. There he hopes for a better life, because at the moment things are not looking good for him. He has no money, no job and from one day to the next he is confronted with the role as a father, which is completely too much for him. Here he is now able to live in his sister's garage and also finds two jobs at once to which he can devote himself fully while Anna takes care of Sam. During a shift as a bouncer in a nightclub, Ali meets the attractive yet brittle Stéphanie (Marion Cotillard). They hit it off right away, both appreciating the non-committal nature of the relationship. And so it seems to remain with the unique encounter. But after some time, Ali unexpectedly receives a call from Stéphanie, who is confined to a wheelchair after a catastrophic accident at her job at Marineland and has lost all zest for life. She can't handle sympathy, feeling downright crushed by emotion. Ali's sober and matter-of-fact nature seems to be the only thing that helps her through this difficult time. And indeed: his way of helping her into the sea or giving her back the joy of sex helps Stéphanie out of her low. But the small signs of happiness do not seem to last...

With The Taste of Rust and Bone, Jacques Audiard, who could already inspire with A Prophet, has directed a moving and pleasingly unsentimental drama, which despite a rather undercooled atmosphere, especially at the beginning, quickly grabs the emotions of the audience and stirs them up again and again. At the same time, Audiard knows very well not to let his audience be completely crushed by the sadness of his characters and their stories. Time and time again, he builds in moments that are either simply beautiful or restrainedly humorous in their own way. But such moments succeed in tying the audience to the characters, who would otherwise probably come across as less than sympathetic. With Ali in particular, this is of immense importance, as his seeming disinterest in those around him, whether it be his son, his sister or the women he dates, is not exactly an endearing quality. But through the subtle staging and convincing acting of Matthias Schoenaerts, it becomes clear that Ali is struggling with his inner demons and is nowhere near as jaded as he first appears.

The same goes for Stéphanie, who not only finds her way back into life through Ali's pragmatic help from her self-imposed isolation, but also feels something like admiration and passion at the sight of the illegal fistfights he engages in to earn some extra money. Even if the film is a bit too heavy handed when it comes to the strokes of fate and the finale lacks the subtlety that otherwise distinguishes the film, this fascinating portrait of two existences that have been badly battered by life leaves an absolutely positive impression in the end. This is especially due to the perfect interplay between the strong performances of the actors and the captivating visual language, which clothes the events in a very special atmosphere that is hard to escape. The scene of Stéphanie's accident is particularly impressively staged, one of the greatest goosebump moments of recent months.

The Taste of Rust and Bone is truly not an easy film. Too much dominates a certain bleakness, which is just intensified by the picturesque backdrop of the Côte d`Azur. It is the contrast between a region that one tends to associate with a carefree, relaxed life or even luxury and the everyday life of the protagonists, which is dominated by dreariness and grey hopelessness, that makes the film so appealing and impressive. If you like great acting cinema from Europe and don't let yourself be put off by a heavy dramaturgy, you will realize in the end that Jacques Audiard has directed an extremely life-affirming and optimistic film that will linger with the viewer for a long time. And that's why, despite some minor lengths and the somewhat too thick ending, the bottom line is a: Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The very clean picture has a very good image sharpness, which can also convince in darker scenes. In addition, the very natural-looking color scheme pleases, especially the blue of the sea on the Côte d`Azur wonderfully reproduced. The matching of the black levels and the contrasts also leave a positive impression. The sound, which is somewhat unspectacular due to the genre, transports the dialogue clearly understandable from the speakers. Well implemented ambient sounds such as ocean noise and smaller sound effects provide a pleasant dynamic in the surround area. Not spectacular, but good!

Extras: Bonus features include six cut scenes (approx. 6:34 min.), as well as a brief look at the special effects (2:25 min.) used to give the impression that Stéphanie no longer has legs. Other than that, only the trailer is included in the bonus menu. The nearly hour-long making of, which can be found on home cinema media in other countries, unfortunately didn't make it to Germany. Too bad!

Conclusion: The Taste of Rust and Bone is a superbly acted drama that turns out to be not exactly light fare dramaturgically, but in the end has become a very positive, life-affirming film. Even if fate strikes once too often in the end, the film as a whole is an excellent example of high quality and lasting arthouse cinema from Europe. Absolutely recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp