Review of The Kid with a Bike (2011) by P. P — 21 Apr 2013

It is unique but never captivating, dreamlike but never interesting. The strength of the movie lies in the acting. Thomas Doret who portrays Cyril, a very demanding character to play, does an excellent job and the other actors are all contributing to make the movie extremely believable. A union of their great efforts and the realistic tale by the Dardenne brothers makes it more like a documentary. Sometimes it is nice to see something that feels genuine, with authentic dialouge and real human beings... but as a watcher I get bored. The movie is more like a draft from real life than an actual story. It is mainly a mix of footage of a bicycling Cyril who shoot across the picture to a score by Beethoven, away from the much more interesting characters who are pleading for him to come back. A short synopsis, but quite a good one.

My problem with this movie is that I cannot see its purpose; is it made to entertain? To provoke? To be inspiring? Is it perhaps made to make the audience feel smarter?

I did not feel any of these things and this is usually my kind of genre. Instead of enjoying the ride, I forced myself through the first half hour, which mainly consists of long drawn out clips of our young main character as he is trying to get a hold of his father. I sigh when I realize that I don't like any of the characters. Not even Cyril. It is hard to be sympathetic when his journey never escalate, when he never surprises us, makes his own decisions and developes as a person.

Despite the interesting genre with an artistic touch the movie passes me unnoticed. I am left with no emotional marks whatsoever. When I leave the movie theatre I am calm and absent minded, already thinking of something else. Just like Cyril I am on my way to my next destination, untouched by my surroundings and underwhelmed by the last three hours.