This movie has been recommended to me several times, so I thought I'd give it a watch. I have to say, I've spent two hours far more productively with my feet up on my desk and staring at my toenails.
Rust and Bone tells the story of two damaged people that, in finding one another, heal themselves and go on with their lives.
Except... that it doesn't. Whilst the male and female leads are damaged (she even before she suffers the loss of her legs), there is no noticeable character change in either of them. Oh... unless you count the sudden scene at the end - more later.
The male is thuggish, boorish and uncaring almost to a sociopathic extreme. He feeds his child leftovers from strangers and barely seems to care about the boy.
The woman is self-absorbed and dismissive of others, even calling her boyfriend "A small man" at one point early on when he is humiliated in his own home by the thug.
Neither of them is remotely likable. He comes across as a dimwit. She as a narcissist.
Then they meet. We are supposed to think there might be some chemistry between them but, frankly, I've seen more chemistry in a Christian Scientist's bathroom cabinet than these two conjure up. There's just nothing likable about either of them. They have sex. They discuss it in a horribly disinterested manner and basically agree to be each other's "friend-with-benefits".
If there was any chemistry I was hoping to find, it was bleach. Bleach. Thrown into my eyes to prevent me from watching any more of these two's ludicrous antics. But it was not to be, so...
I watched them heal each other. Or at least, I think that is what the story was aiming for. But it just fails dismally at this.
After getting together, both people do not change in even the slightest. He is still a thuggish street-fighter. She is still a self-obsessed prima donna.
The token concession to "everything-turning-out-alright-in-the-end" was the final scene, out of the blue. It shows the thug becoming a world champion martial artist whilst she stands by with the son by her side, his artful manager. A proper family unit at last! It is all ridiculously unbelievable and borderline insulting.
I hate to say this, but if the two characters had been given an ounce more humanity, a smidgeon more personality, and made even slightly likable, then the film would have suceeded very well.
Instead, the story focuses not on the relationship between the two, but on the two as individuals. It is utterly wrong. It's like someone asked Data from Star Trek to write a love story before he got the emotion chip!
Don't get me wrong. I love foreign cinema. The original versions of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are far superior to the Hollywood remake. Same with Let Me In. But this isn't in that league. Not even close.
SUMMARY: Dull, focuses on individuals, not the relationship. Characters that won't grow on you no matter how much Baby-Bio you force feed them. If you are looking for a romantic drama, give this one a miss.
Rust and Bone tells the story of two damaged people that, in finding one another, heal themselves and go on with their lives.
Except... that it doesn't. Whilst the male and female leads are damaged (she even before she suffers the loss of her legs), there is no noticeable character change in either of them. Oh... unless you count the sudden scene at the end - more later.
The male is thuggish, boorish and uncaring almost to a sociopathic extreme. He feeds his child leftovers from strangers and barely seems to care about the boy.
The woman is self-absorbed and dismissive of others, even calling her boyfriend "A small man" at one point early on when he is humiliated in his own home by the thug.
Neither of them is remotely likable. He comes across as a dimwit. She as a narcissist.
Then they meet. We are supposed to think there might be some chemistry between them but, frankly, I've seen more chemistry in a Christian Scientist's bathroom cabinet than these two conjure up. There's just nothing likable about either of them. They have sex. They discuss it in a horribly disinterested manner and basically agree to be each other's "friend-with-benefits".
If there was any chemistry I was hoping to find, it was bleach. Bleach. Thrown into my eyes to prevent me from watching any more of these two's ludicrous antics. But it was not to be, so...
I watched them heal each other. Or at least, I think that is what the story was aiming for. But it just fails dismally at this.
After getting together, both people do not change in even the slightest. He is still a thuggish street-fighter. She is still a self-obsessed prima donna.
The token concession to "everything-turning-out-alright-in-the-end" was the final scene, out of the blue. It shows the thug becoming a world champion martial artist whilst she stands by with the son by her side, his artful manager. A proper family unit at last! It is all ridiculously unbelievable and borderline insulting.
I hate to say this, but if the two characters had been given an ounce more humanity, a smidgeon more personality, and made even slightly likable, then the film would have suceeded very well.
Instead, the story focuses not on the relationship between the two, but on the two as individuals. It is utterly wrong. It's like someone asked Data from Star Trek to write a love story before he got the emotion chip!
Don't get me wrong. I love foreign cinema. The original versions of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo are far superior to the Hollywood remake. Same with Let Me In. But this isn't in that league. Not even close.
SUMMARY: Dull, focuses on individuals, not the relationship. Characters that won't grow on you no matter how much Baby-Bio you force feed them. If you are looking for a romantic drama, give this one a miss.