Rust and Bone: Press reviews

'Another triumph from Audiard and a Cotillard masterclass, this bruising, tender melodrama lingers long in the memory.'

At Cannes: 'Schoenaerts is as good as Cotillard at avoiding the trap of melodrama, and they sustain a film that's not as obviously notable as A Prophet but, much more quietly, makes a considerable mark.'

'This is a film that remains in the memory, beautifully shot in the South of France where all is not glamour but where, in this case, ordinary lives take an extraordinary turn.'

'Apart from the soppy soundtrack, it's very affecting and potent stuff.'

At Cannes: 'It's refreshing here to see a film that presents, at least for a stretch, the opposite of the ‘you can do it!' Hollywood inspirational healing process'

At Cannes: 'Rust and Bone may not be for everyone; but it's a complex, assured, demanding work.'

'Rust and Bone is bruising, beautiful, and fierce, a love story written in scar tissue, acted with galvanising intelligence, and directed like a dream.'

At Cannes: 'a passionate and moving love story which surges out of the screen like a flood tide.'

At Cannes: 'Gritty treatment of a rather conventional emotional dynamic yields a solid, involving drama.'

'At times melodrama is allowed to bully its way through, and there's a moment of pure Rocky schmaltz to make you wonder if Audiard isn't pitching to the box-office.'

'It could have simply been melodrama, but Rust And Bone is about much more than just PC themes and outlandish plotting. Cotillard's performance is primed for awards, while Schoenaerts is a rough diamond.'

'There's a lot about Rust and Bone that's excellent, not least its astonishing digital effects. What's even more impressive is the raw intensity of Cotillard's performance. As strong as Audiard's drama is, however, its initial, harsh social realism soon goes soft.'

'The audience needs something subtler and less semaphored: a chance to feel and empathise, not just an invitation to cheerlead for no-nonsense toughness.'

'What could be melodramatic and sentimental seems fresh and true. The picture as a whole, though, is overpacked.'

'...two excellent performances from Cotillard and Schoenaerts. Their romance touches you while keeping the usual Hollywood schmaltz enjoyably absent.'

At Cannes: 'The film never quite convinces that such a pair could exist, and during certain cinematic doldrums, even Audiard doesn't know where things are headed.'

At Cannes: 'a film that feels contrived, meandering and inert, as if the extreme events at its core – and these events constantly threaten to seem ridiculous in isolation – are mere excuses for a tourist excursion into the under regions of France and human experience.'