The Kid with a Bike (2011)

Like the Dardenne Brother’s previous films, The Son (2002) and The Child (2005), The Kid with a Bike sees the filmmakers return to their distinctive naturalistic style. The simplicity of both visuals and plot are key as they allow the human drama to unfold without being overshadowed by grandiose visuals or ambitious narrative techniques.

The kid with the bike is Cyril, a red-haired, angry and vulnerable 12-year old played brilliantly by Thomas Doret whom we first encounter trying to escape his foster home. Cyril wishes only to find his father and his beloved bicycle. Cyril’s unequivocal love for his father blinds him from the truth that his dad (Jeremie Renier) has sold his son’s bike and made an escape.

After literally falling into the arms of hairdresser, Samantha (Cecile De France) at a Doctor’s surgery, Cyril is taken in by the woman who agrees to take care of the boy at weekends. Why Samantha takes such a clearly troubled child into her quiet life so quickly and without much hesitation is the only slightly troubling aspect of the film. A common reading of this element of the story suggests the film should be regarded, in some senses, as a fairytale, and that interpretation makes this narrative strand more understandable. What is clear is that Samantha is kind and lonely and sees, behind Cyril’s unpredictable and angry exterior, a boy that is vulnerable and alone.

In arguably the film’s standout scene, Cyril and Samantha track down Cyril’s father, Guy. Here, Cyril’s unquestioning faith in his father’s supposed good nature and love is horribly shattered. Cyril appears outside the kitchen window of his father’s restaurant exuberantly trying to get his father’s attention. Guy’s expression combines total indifference with mild annoyance. Guy makes it clear to both Cyril and Samantha he wants nothing to do with his son and never wants to see him again. What is noticeable in this scene is its understatement and quiet brutality. There are no raised voices and no tears are shed- Guy’s rejection of Cyril is plainly delivered and explained in simple terms. Guy feels unable to take care of his son or financially support him, delivering this news in a way that reduces his son to a mere object that can’t be paid for.

The nature of this story may easily have seemed clichéd and overly sentimental in the hands of other writer/directors. This is a story involving an abandoned child, a pretty and lonely woman and their journey into (literally) each others arms. However, the restraint and naturalism of the Dardenne’s style in this film sums up their style as filmmakers. Rather than using sweeping camerawork or grand orchestral scores, they use a basic but brilliantly effective cinematic style, using hand-held camerawork, close-ups of their actors, minimising their musical scores and allowing the stories they tell to stand alone without assistance. The Kid with a Bike is an excellent way to start exploring the work of the Dardenne Brothers.

The Son (2002)

The Dardenne Brothers', Le Fils (The Son) is a technically brilliant and emotionally powerful piece of cinema. Much of the film is shot in a deliberately claustrophobic style to gain an insight into the mind of its central character, Olivier (Olivier Gourmet). Up until the film’s climactic scene, most of The Son is shot either in close ups of the central characters or using over the shoulder shots. We know the film is set in a French town but the near constant use of close up camerawork where faces and necks of actors are in clear focus but backgrounds are nearly always out of focus, results in the disorienting feeling of not knowing where the film is taking place. The French dialogue is all that reminds us we are in France as the oppressive camerawork and seemingly bleak and lifeless nature of the fuzzy backgrounds and buildings, suggests the film may be taking place in a northern England town.



The simplicity of The Son is key to its effectiveness. Olivier teaches carpentry to youths at a training centre. He knowingly takes on and teaches, Francis (Morgan Marrine), a moody and troubled teenager who murdered Olivier’s young son some years before. This murder has also led to the breakdown of Olivier’s marriage. From the outset, the film is rife with ambiguities and mystery. Why has Olivier chosen to take on Francis? Does he want revenge or is he seeking some kind of closure so he may forgive and find inner peace?

Olivier Gourmet’s incredible performance is the film’s crowning achievement and is notable for its brilliant restraint. Given the character’s circumstances, Olivier could have been played with far more flamboyance and outward drama, but Gourmet’s approach is far more cerebral. He and the Dardenne’s do not insult the intelligence of the audience and realise it was unnecessary for Gourmet to give a psychotic and babbling performance. By no means does Gourmet’s restraint result in his character being impotent and weak. This restraint is replaced far more effectively with the long static shots of Gourmet’s face, which provide a far deeper insight into the pain he feels and the aggression and anger that may lurk within.

The Son deals with ideas of forgiveness and parental psychology in a fascinating way. Though Olivier’s son has been taken from him, he chooses to surround himself with young people. Rather than stay away from the very people that may remind him of his pain, he works as a nurturer and teacher within their presence so they may ease his painful memories and remind him of the joy he experienced with his son. This is a very positive and powerful alternative to the very understandable negative emotions we may all experience were we in Olivier’s position. An excellent film.