The Kid with a Bike
| The Kid with a Bike | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Jean-Pierre Dardenne Luc Dardenne |
| Produced by | Jean-Pierre Dardenne Luc Dardenne Denis Freyd |
| Written by | Jean-Pierre Dardenne Luc Dardenne |
| Starring |
Thomas Doret Cécile de France |
| Cinematography | Alain Marcoen |
| Edited by | Marie-Hélène Dozo |
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Production
company |
Les Films du Fleuve
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| Distributed by | Diaphana Films (France) |
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Release date
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Running time
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87 minutes |
| Country | Belgium France Italy |
| Language | French |
| Budget | €5.8 million |
| Box office | $5.2 million |
The Kid with a Bike (French: Le gamin au vélo) is a 2011 drama film written and directed by the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, starring Thomas Doret and Cécile de France. Set in Seraing, it tells the story of a 12-year-old boy who turns to a woman for comfort after his father has abandoned him.
The film was produced through companies in Belgium, France and Italy. While The Kid with a Bike does not deviate from the naturalistic style of the Dardenne brothers' earlier works, a comparatively bright aesthetic was employed, as well as a screenplay inspired by fairy tales. Unusually for a film by the directors, it also uses music. It premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and was co-winner of the festival's Grand Prix.
The story begins with Cyril, a 12-year-old boy in foster care, searching for his father and lost bike. Cyril escapes the foster home to try to find his father at his old apartment. When the caretakers find him, Cyril flees to a doctor’s office nearby, where he grabs onto a woman in the waiting room. Trying to alleviate the situation, the caretakers take Cyril to the empty apartment, confirming that his father has really abandoned him.
The next morning, the woman from the doctor's office, Samantha, shows up with Cyril’s bike. She says she bought it from someone in the projects, but Cyril thinks it was stolen from his dad. He likes Samantha though, and asks if she would take him in on weekends. She agrees and Cyril begins to spend much time at home and in her beauty salon. He has a bedroom all to himself in her home although he does sneak out of bed and go to Samantha's bedroom at least once most likely seeking comfort but runs back to his own room at the last moment, runs errands, plays with neighborhood children even making a new friend, Mourad, and is for a short while content and happy well cared for by Samantha although her manfriend is often upset with Cyril. Later, through an old personal ad, Cyril discovers that his father actually sold his bike. With Samantha, Cyril is able to finally track down his father. However, his father isn't happy to be found and tells his son never to come back. This unsettles him greatly and ends his short period of true carefree childhood.
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