Cinema Review – The Kid With The Bike
Out this week in the UK is the hard hitting drama, Kid With The Bike, here are Teri’s findings
The Dardenne brothers’ The Kid With a Bike may be the most important and best film you will see this year; it’s certainly been mine, and since seeing it just little under a month ago, it’s remained at the top of my 2012 list so far. What is it I like about it so much? The dual frailty and solid determination of its lead character, its pureness and simple story.
The film revolves around 12 year-old foster child Cyril and his broken relationship with his negligent biological father and the fragile relationship that forms between himself and a local hairdresser – played wonderfully by Cecile de France – who comes to his aid when he has lost his bike. Along the way, Cyril also meets a few of the neighborhoods shadier characters, including a gang member who attempts to take him under his wing in a rather awkward and difficult-to-watch scene involving a games console and a very small bedroom; what follows though only becomes harder still.
No thrills, spills, gimmicks or even a sense of viewer’s comfort awaits you as the story unfolds; set on a very ordinary estate in suburban Belgium, it really feels like it could be anywhere and is immediately translatable and relatable, but never easy. Cyril’s plyte to reconnect with his father is a pivotal point in the film and actor Thomas Doret plays it with a devastating kind of naivety that will move even the hardest of hearts to tears.
Echoing the likes of Ken Loach’s seminal work Kes, Shane Meadows’ This Is England and Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, realism is at the very backbone of The Kid With a Bike, and it has a structural naturalness to it that fans of the brothers will recognise.
The Kid With a Bike is short, quiet and hardhitting; it sits just at the cusp of a coming of age film and is a necessary and sure-to-be influential portrait of childhood.
THE KID WITH THE BIKE IS RELEASED NATIONALLY IN UK FROM 23RD MARCH 2012
About The Author – Teri Williams
Teri is a former film student from Edinburgh and currently works in book publishing in London. She is a fan of bad taste films, horror, fantasy, science fiction and vintage teen comedy and has been described by her friends as a “proper nerd” and a human imdb. She can be found speaking nonsense under the twitter name @msenidcoleslaw and scribbling similar nonsense on her blog Enid’s Revenge
Have you seen this film? Do you like the sound of it? Comment below..
Teri
Very brief, but articulate review. Nicely summed up!
I found it quite hard to not give too much away about this one – reason for it being so short and pithy. It’s my opinion that one should go into this film not knowing too much about it, like I did…
Those are some big names that this stands up too (400 Blows and Kes). I had trouble with the language barrier on Kes (english, but very heavy), but 400 Blows has slowly won me over. I’ll be making an effort to see this once it comes stateside.
I’m glad you’re going to give it a go, Max! Would love to hear your thoughts when you do see it
I thought the child actor was amazsingly good. It’s a very well crafted little movie with no fillers, nothing that could have been cut away. They’ve done that for us, leaving us with only essentials. It was the first movies I’ve seen by those directors, but definitely not the last one.
Completely agree, Jessica. It was just so simple, but extremely powerful. Thanks for your comment!
I thought this was kind of a lighter/sweet drama but wow, sounds quite intense. I do like that title, somehow it grabbed my attention.
Yes! It’s very intriguing, and doesn’t give a lot away either.
Wow if it’s anything like 400 Blows and This is England, count me in!
I hope you get around to seeing it then, Pete! Let us know what you think!
Very nicely written review. Concise and enjoyable.
I’ve been reading very positive things about this film and I can’t wait to watch it as soon as I have a chance. Thanks for sharing