Written and Directed by the Dardennes Brothers
Starring: Thomas Doret, Cecile De France, Jeremie Renier
The Dardenne Brothers seem to have based their careers on telling about the horrible fates that befall children and women in their native Belgium. THE KID ON THE BIKE follows that tradition. Cyril Catoul (Doret) a boy of about eleven or so has been deserted by his father (Renier) after his grandmother dies. He is in a state orphanage, a humane place, but one he cannot abide. His only interest lies in finding his father and resuming a life with him.
On the run from the officials, he stumbles into a hair stylist’s shop and falls, literally, into Samantha’s (De France) lap. Some sort of rapport, at least on her part, begins and she agrees to have him stay with her on weekends. His weekend visits allows Cyril to continue the surreptitious search for his Dad.
Once found, Dad is not suited to caring for his son and this information makes Cyril spiral out of control. He gets into trouble through hanging out with the wrong crowd, and only some chance circumstances saves him and his growing relationship with Samantha from disintegration. It is unclear at the end if it is too late for Cyril or not.
This was an excellent movie if it comes your way. Every note rings true. Highly recommended
Patti
Be sure to stop by http://www.pattinase.blogspot.com/ to check out Forgotten Books every Friday as well as other thoughts, comments and reviews. A collection of her stories, Monkey Justice (Snubnose Press) can be found on Amazon