Trailer for Rust and Bone presents love amongst killer whales

The French language film De rouille et d'os (or, as translated into English, Rust and Bone) has received a fair amount of hype since the release of its trailer in the US, complete with English subtitles, earlier this week. Written and directed by Jacques Audiard (who received a Palme d'Or nom for the film at Cannes this year), Rust and Bone follows the relationship between the unemployed Ali (Matthias Schoenaerts), a young single father who dreams of being an Ultimate fighter, and Stéphanie (the ever-lovely Marion Cotillard), a killer whale trainer who loses both of her legs below the knee in a freak accident.

On a descriptive surface-level, the synopsis for Rust and Bone sounds like an overblown melodrama that does little outside of proposed archetypal tropes. However, the trailer -- complete with accompaniment by a corybantic guitar -- delves into a natural and complex intimacy between its protagonists. Of course, Cotillard's smile always helps, which, in all probablilty, the Academy won't discount for this year's Oscar race.