The Kid With A Bike Review
21:58:00
Hello My Lovely's,
A while ago I got sent the film 'The Kid with a Bike'
directed and written by the famous brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc
Dardenne. It is a heart wrenching film about a small 12 year old boy who seeks
a family after his father abandons him.
Cyril (Played by Thomas Doret), is placed into a foster home
after his relationship with his father breaks down. After many attempts Cyril
manages to escape the home and return to the place he lived with his father.
The building's janitor warns Cyril that his father hasn't been there for months
and after spotting his councillors he runs to the medical centre. There he hugs
a random stranger in an attempt to stop himself from being taken back to the
home.
Days pass and the women named Samantha (Played by Cecile de
France) returns with Cyril's beloved bike in which he has also been searching
for with his father as well. The pair soon takes on a mother and son
relationship after she agrees to care for him on weekends.
The pair have many high and low points to their relationship;
however the on screen connection is undeniably one of the most innocent
portrayals in modern film. It is one of those films that make you want to care
for the small boy in so many ways as he explores the undeniable harshness of
the real world.
De France's portrayal also links highly to the new
empowering women we are seeing on modern cinema screens as she fights off the
threatening men, who try to take away her relationship with Cyril. Her maternal
side is so realistic that it is questionable or not wither she is faking the
emotions on screen.
Doret's, Cyril was such a sweet character who was just seeking
love and attention after losing his fathers. It is ironic how much he looks for
his father as it is often portrayed the most in foreign films as a key theme,
especially in Almodovar's films 'Volver' and 'All About my Mother'. However the
ending of the film manages to put that idea at rest which many films don't as
they try to find a substitute for it. Yet here the Dardenne brothers have
solved the problem by just portraying a relationship of love and caring instead
of a search party.
The use of the bike throughout made me see how much of a
journey this boy was on. This may sound stupid but the bike showed to me his
hard work and determination towards finding his father as it is quite a hard
form of transport to travel so far on. Cyril's determination as well when the
bike is continuously stolen also highlighted how much he was afraid to lose his
grip on what he wanted and that he was willing to go to any cause to defend it.
I loved the scene in which the two main characters rode
their bikes together. I felt that this scene really symbolized how far the two
had come and the journey they were taking together. Especially with the sandwiches
as the character reversal mirrored the start of the film when Samantha asked
Cyril if he wants one, highlighting how he is finally starting to care.
'The Kid With A Bike' is a film that I don't think I will be
forgetting any time soon, as its portrayal of a young boy just looking for
acceptance is something that is so real these days. It is a beautifully pieced
together film which I feel many audiences, young or old would enjoy.
I am giving this film...
4 Stars
Until Next Time...
Joey xxx
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