A somewhat irresponsible unemployed ex-boxer (Matthias Schoenaerts) and his five year old son (Armand Verdure) move in with his married sister (Corinne Masiero). He finds himself attracted to a killer whale trainer (Marion Cotillard) who he meets while working as a bouncer in a nightclub. But when a tragic accident causes her to become a double amputee, a strong if uneasy bond grows between them. Fluidly directed by Jacques Audiard (
A PROPHET), this is an unsentimental look at two broken individuals and how their mutual pain eventually forms a common ground that will allow them to heal. The two leads give immaculate and nuanced performances, it's certainly Cotillard's best work since
LA VIE EN ROSE and Schoenaerts allows us to see the humanity struggling to get out of a tortured brute. There are many emotional highpoints that it's difficult to choose just one but I think my favorite is the moment when Cotillard returns to visit the whales she loved ... and the cause of her tragedy. Not to be missed.
No comments:
Post a Comment