[THE KID WITH A BIKE
opens in Cleveland on Friday April 13th exclusively at the Cedar Lee
Theatre.]
Review
by Bob Ignizio
No child wants to think they're
unwanted. That's why in THE KID WITH A BIKE (Le
Gamin au vélo),
despite all evidence to the contrary, Cyril (Thomas Doret) clings to
the belief that his deadbeat father (Jérémie Renier) is going to
come back to retrieve him from the foster home he's been
“temporarily” placed at. Even when his counselors tell Cyril that
his father has moved, leving no forwarding address, Cyril refuses to
believe them. Cyrill finally manages to escape long enough to go
there himself, at which point he finally has to face the truth. On
top of that, Cyril's prize possession, his bike, is gone.
The only bright spot is that Samantha
(Cécile de France), a hairdresser Cyril encounters while eluding the
foster home staff, asks to be the Cyril's guardian on weekends. She
also manages to get the boy's bike back. As nice as Samantha seems,
it's not surprising that Cyril has a hard time trusting her. And
despite what he's learned about his father, Cyril is still determined
to track him down, certain that he'll be taken in again.
This isn't one of those sappy movies
where a cute little orphan melts some crusty old curmudgeon's heart
and everyone lives happily ever after. There are heartwarming aspects
to the story, but nothing that feels phoney or overly sentimental.
Cyril is a good kid at heart, but he's also troubled; going down the
wrong path is very much a possibility for him, thanks to a shady
substitute father figure (Egon Di Mateo) he falls in with. And while
Samantha is a kind and caring person, she is definitely pushed to her
limits by the boy. At no point do we ever feel like a happy ending is
guaranteed.
Co-writers/directors Jean-Pierre and
Luc Dardenne are best known for their realist approach in films like
THE CHILD (L'enfant),
but for THE KID
WITH A BIKE
they intended to have more of a fairy tale feel. That
aspect is certainly there, but in a very subtle way. The most
prominent break from the brothers' usual approach is the use of some
non-diegetic music to emphasize certain emotional moments. For the
most part, though, in terms of look and performance THE KID WITH A
BIKE still maintains a
very naturalistic tone. It's shot in a matter of fact, almost verité
style, and the cast all give understated, believable performances. 3
1/2 out of 4 stars.
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