The Dardenne Brothers has produced another remarkable slice of social realism with their latest, The Kid with a Bike (2011). The visual aesthetic so familiar from their past successes like The Promise (1996) and The Child (2005) is present. Hand-held cameras offer a typically gritty perspective on a modest but often devastating story.
When we first meet Cyril (Thomas Doret) his life is in turmoil. His father (Dardennes regular Jeremie Renier) has abandoned him to his own fate, even selling the boy’s beloved bicycle in the process. The authorities at the boys home struggle to contain his rage Soon he finds a saviour in Samantha (Cecile De France). Here, finally, is somebody who believes in him and perceives the decency beyond the irritated, petulant exterior.
She agrees to have him spend weekends with her but Cyril is soon hoodwinked by a local dealer who takes him under his wing. The lure of hours to be had enjoying Playstation and other luxuries denied him at the boys home is a sign of temptation sure to eventually corrupt.
We have to work overtime to sympathise with this kid for much of the film’s length. He neglects others around him and refuses to obey authority. He resolutely evades attempts to rein him in. He’s tough as nails but repels our initial endeavours to find a streak of commonality. But at its heart The Kid with a Bike poignantly evokes the heartbreaking despair of being so callously rejected by a parent.
The Dardenne brothers have again transformed simplicity into something complex, involving and ultimately moving. The remarkable performances they elicit from their cast adds to the authenticity with which every scene is crafted. De France is perhaps the biggest name yet to work with the directors but she’s a strong fit as always, humanising the film at its most critical junctures, when faith might otherwise have been abandoned. The resolution is problematic perhaps but not fatally so.
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