THE KID WITH A BIKE (Le Gamin au Vélo) (2011) - ♦♦♦♦♦

Directed by - Jean Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Written by - Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Starring - Cécile de France, Thomas Doret

"An 11 year old kid, left in a home by his unscrupulous father, becomes the maker of his own destiny when life presents him with two options; one a chance of a new family with a hairdresser Samantha whom he meets by chance, the other a life of crime in the company of a local drug dealer. The Kid With a Bike is a modern study of reckless childhood that creates great tension out of human drama, but also a film that tastefully uses the themes in as genuine a way as the work of Italian neo realists. The Dardennes are to be praised, above all, for their interest in unappealing characters and their ability grab an audience’s heart with incredible ease but never in a facile way."

Drama, Belgium/France/Italy