Cotillard delivers what is by far her finest, rawest performance to date. Immobile, physically and mentally, she reaches out to Alain; he treats her like a human being, without a trace of pity, and they begin to form a complicated, increasingly tight bond. While neatly avoiding melodrama, Rust and Bone is Jacques most emotionally engaging work yet. It's a film for people who believe that fallen souls aren't inevitably destined to become lost ones.
Laura Kern
November 1, 2012