Rust and Bone

Acclaimed director Jacques Audiard delivers a powerful film filled with heart, passion and impeccable performances.

We first encounter Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts) a former boxer with unwavering determination and trailed by his five-year-old son, Sam, who he barely knows. These two end up in Antibes, in France's south, staying with Ali's estranged sister Anne Clearly, personal relationships are not Ali's strength and he doesn't let many get close.

Finding work as a nightclub bouncer, he meets the intense and provocative Stephanie (Marion Cotillard), a killer whale trainer at the local Marine Park.

When a show ends in tragedy Stephanie's life is turned upside down and she is drawn towards the direct, hard-hearted man. Sensing that there is no room for pity in Ali's world it is he who offers her salvation. What develops is an unlikely bond between two damaged souls and the battered bodies that house them.

Audiard presents two characters in an improbable relationship, on the margins of society, plagued by their inner demons and obsessions. Delivering a deeply dramatic punch, Rust and Bone defies categorisation leaves viewers feeling haunted and inspired equal measure.