Ali, a man of formidable size and strength, gets a job as a bouncer in a nightclub. He comes to the aid of St茅phanie (Marion Cotillard) during a nightclub brawl. Aloof and beautiful, St茅phanie seems unattainable, but in his frank manner Ali leaves her his phone number anyway. St茅phanie trains orca whales at Marineland. When a performance ends in tragedy, a call in the night again brings them together. When Ali sees her next, St茅phanie is confined to a wheel chair: she has lost her legs and quite a few illusions.
Ali’s direct, unpitying physicality becomes St茅phanie’s lifeline, but Ali too is transformed by St茅phanie’s tough resilience. And St茅phanie comes alive again. As their stories intersect and diverge, they navigate a world where strength, beauty, youth and blood are commodities—but where trust, truth, loyalty and love cannot be bought and sold, and courage comes in many forms.
Rust and Bones is presented by the Jasper Film Club on Thursday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m. at the Chaba Theatre.
