The Kid With A Bike

THE KID WITH A BIKE

Directors : Jean Pierre & Luc Dardenne

Year : 2012

Genre : Drama

Rating : ***1/2

 

'The Kid With A Bike' is a French coming of age film directed by the great Dardennes brothers, who are 2 of the most successful Belgian directors of recent years thanks to their critically acclaimed dramas 'Le Fils', 'L'Enfant' and 'Le Silence De Lorna', all of which have won numerous awards at the Cannes Film Festival and the Palme D'ors. While I am not completely familiar with the pair's work having only seen 'L'Enfant', based on the strength of both 'L'Enfant' and now 'The Kid With A Bike', I am now eager to explore the rest of their filmography and to see how else French suburbia is conveyed in completely realistic and engaging ways. In 'L'Enfant', the desperate need/want for money was portrayed in a very bleak, unsettling way and 'The Kid With A Bike' portrays the importance of parenthood and the bond between a father and son. In the same way that Terence Davies can bring a reality to the middle class society and the power of both emotional and physical strength  in the UK with movies such as 'Of Time & The City' and 'Deep Blue Sea', the Dardennes capture the zeitgeists of the French and Belgian culture, society and the inner workings of the family system.

'The Kid With A Bike' tells the story of a young boy named Cyril who lives in a youth hostel because his father abandoned him without prior notice and on discovering this, tries to track him down with the help of a woman who eventually agrees to become his foster parent. As well as having to deal with the potential loss of a male lead, Cyril also has to come to terms with adapting to a strange new environment, peer pressure and independence.

The lead actor Thomas  Doret is absolutely brilliant as the young Cyril, who while dealing with his fathers abandonment and trying to cope on his own in the world, is desperate for love, attention and care. In retrospect, the movies that 'The Kid With A Bike' reminded me of the most were Ken Loach's 'Kes' which conveyed the need for friendship, coping with abandonment and loss and Shane Meadow's 'This Is England'. Just like 'This Is England', 'The Kid With A Bike' shows the dangers of falling in with a wrong crowd and the potentially disastrous power of peer pressure and while not as vicious or as hard edged as 'This Is England', the film doesn't shy away from the vulnerability of independence and the apparent ease in which others can manipulate.  Doret is also brilliant at portraying the brattiness, stubborness and refusal that makes young boys so annoying. While almost distractingly stubborn, the characters story arc is able to condone his actions rather than just comdemning him to the usual stereotypes and conventions from most Hollywood movies portraying pre - adolescence. Cyril's foster parent is played by Cecile De France, of whom most people may know from Alexandre Aja's terrifyingly brutal 2003 horror movie 'Haute Tension'. De France is perfectly cast as a lady who through the kindness of her heart provides a sanctity for this young boy who is hyperactive, rude and dealing with crushing sadness. While not trying to replace Cyril's father, De France portrays the mothering nature in every woman, helping him with his grief and trying to provide the stability in Cyrils fragile mind while not being possessive, controlling or forthright.

The film is shot beautifully and with the use of tracking shots, steadicam work and personal close ups, the Dardennes capture an almost fly on the wall experience which allows us to connect emotionally with the characters as they go about their daily lives. Following Cyril while he cycles allows us to see the solidarity that he finds in his bike and that to him, the bike is one of the only parts of his Dad that he has left. Having lost my father when I was about the same as Cyril, I could very easily identify with how precious a memento or object can be when it has a tie with a loved one, no matter how innocuous or invalid it may be.

'The Kid With A Bike' is a wonderfully made, moving film which perfectly portrays the innocence of childhood, the desperate need for both independence but parental guidance and the dangers of peer pressure. For those who love foreign or independent movies, then I think you will lap up this film. However, if you are adverse to films not in the English language, then this movie may not be for you. There is nothing that stands out to me that will change your viewpoint. Amazingly, 'The Kid With A Bike' wasn't shortlisted for an Academy Award which really surprises me due to the reputation of the directors, the subject matter and the independant nature of the film and while 'Amour', 'No' and 'A Royal Affair' were brilliant, I can see no reason why 'The Kid With A Bike' couldn't stand alongside them.

You will like this if you liked : Kes, This Is England