Review of The Kid with a Bike (2011) by Florence . — 30 Nov 2011
The Dardenne's latest film is a courageous portrait of a young boy who is essentially fighting for his childhood after his father abandons him. The film begins with this boy in a temporary children's home.
He doesn't believe that his father has left him and sold his bike in the process. He fights and argues with the head master but after tracking his father down with the help of Samantha, a hairdresser who agrees to take care of the boy on the weekends, he realizes that his father has absolutely abandoned him.
As much as Samantha tries, Cyril doesn't recognize the love that she has for him which sends him down a bad path when he gets involved with a drug dealer who uses Cyrus. The Kid With The Bike is a very similar to all of the Dardenne's films in terms of style.
It does a real good job at getting the viewer intimately involved with the young Cyril and capturing his naivety in dealing with the situations around him. Thomas Doret is really good as the young Cyril, which is always impressive being so young.
This is a solid film all around but I do think its a middle tier Dardeene film with films like 'The Son' and 'Lorena's Silence' being their best IMO.
This review of The Kid with a Bike (2011) was written by Florence . on 30 Nov 2011.
The Kid with a Bike has generally received very positive reviews.
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