The Kid with a Bike
Encyclopedia
The Kid with a Bike is a 2011 drama film written and directed by the Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
, starring Cécile de France
and Thomas Doret. Set in Seraing
, it tells the story of an 11-year-old boy who turns to a woman after his father has abandoned him. The film was produced through companies in Belgium, France and Italy. While it does not deviate from the naturalistic style of the Dardenne brothers' earlier works, a brighter aesthetic than usual was employed, and the screenplay had a structure inspired by fairytales. Unusually for a film by the directors it also uses music. It premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
and won the festival's Grand Prix
.
is missing. By chance he meets the hairdresser Samantha, who buys his bike back from someone who had it in his possession and claimed he had bought it from the father, and gives it back to Cyril. At his request she allows him to live with her on weekends. Cyril does not believe his father sold his bike, he thinks it must have been stolen from him, but then he sees an advertisement his father posted for it, and is devastated. Together Samantha and Cyril find the father, but he does not want Cyril anymore.
Another person who offers Cyril his company is a local criminal. He is kind to Cyril to gain his trust and loyalty, then prepares him for committing a robbery by hitting the victim with a baseball bat. Because a second man shows up Cyril hits him too. The criminal friend drives the runaway car, but does not want any of the money, because the men (father and son) seem hit more severely than intended, he demands that Cyril will not tell anybody that he was involved.
Cyril brings the money to his father but he does not want it either, it could get him into trouble. Samantha takes Cyril to the police. She promises to pay for the damage, which settles the matter. The father accepts Cyril's apologies, but his son does not.
Later the son attacks Cyril, with the result that the latter falls from a tree. Since it looks serious, the father and son discuss what lies to tell to the police. However, it is not so bad, and Cyril cycles away.
had for a long time had the idea of a film about "a woman who helps a boy emerge from the violence that holds him prisoner." Writing the screenplay took one year including a few breaks. In the earliest drafts, the character Samantha was a doctor and not a hairdresser. The script was structured with a fairytale in mind, where the boy would lose his illusions and Samantha would appear as a fairy-like figure. By not explaining much about the characters' past and psychology, the brothers aimed to avoid sentimentality. Throughout the writing process the brothers strived to maintain a strong clarity in the overall work and avoid gloom, which is why the brothers, according to Jean-Pierre, decided to omit "any form of vulgarity in the teenagers' language, even though they're street criminals."
The film was a co-production with 46% investment from the directors' Belgian company Les Films du Fleuve, 44% from the French Archipel 35 and 10% from Italy's Lucky Red. It received further funding from the CNC, Eurimages
, Wallimage, Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française and the Belgian French Community.
Cécile de France
was offered the role of Samantha soon after the screenplay was finished, as the brothers believed she would be able to portray the kindness of the character with her body and face alone. For the casting of the boy, Cyril, the production team held around 100 auditions. Thomas Doret was the fifth applicant the brothers met, and according to Jean-Pierre, "it clicked right away." The team rehearsed for a month on the actual sets in full costume.
The 55-day shoot commenced in Belgium in August and ended 15 October 2010. It was the first time the Dardenne brothers made a film in the summer. The film was made under the production title Délivrez-moi! which means "Set me free!"
Unusually for a film by the Dardenne brothers there is music in the film. According to Luc, they hesitated for a long time, but eventually decided that music would serve the film's structure: "In a fairytale there has to be a development, with emotions and new beginnings. It seemed to us that music, at certain points, could act like a calming caress for Cyril."
. Cineart distributed it in Belgium and Diaphana Films in France. The premiere in both countries took place on 18 May. In Belgium, the film was launched on 27 screens and entered the box-office chart as number six, with a weekend gross of 70,768 euro. In France it was launched in 172 venues and had an attendance of 107,763 the opening week, which also resulted in a sixth place on the domestic chart. One week later the number of screens had been increased to 215, and the total attendance reached 209,725. In Italy the film was released on 18 May through Lucky Red. Sundance Selects acquired the distribution rights for the United States. The film will be distributed in the United Kingdom through Artificial Eye
.
: "After the slightly sub-par Lorna's Silence (2008), the brothers are back on peerless form with this story of innocence betrayed and befriended, which must count as one of the best films about childhood since Kes
- or for that matter Bicycle Thieves
, to which it surely nods." Romney further commented: "Shooting as usual with cinematographer Alain Marcoen, and in their familiar stamping ground of Seraing
, the brothers this time bring a somewhat different, airier look to their locations, more suburban than in the past. Marcoen's camerawork, also, is rather more free-wheeling than the tightly constrained (and often imitated) tightness of The Son
."
The film received the Grand Prix
at the Cannes film Festival, which is the festival's second most prestigious award. The win was shared with the Turkish film Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
.
Dardenne brothers
Brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne are a Belgian filmmaking duo...
, starring Cécile de France
Cécile de France
Cécile de France is a Belgian actress. After achieving success in French cinema hits such as L'Art de la séduction and Irène , she gained international attention for her lead role in Haute Tension and Hereafter .- Career :Born in Namur, she left Belgium at the age of 17 to go to Paris where she...
and Thomas Doret. Set in Seraing
Seraing
Seraing is a Walloon municipality of Belgium in Province of Liege. The municipality of Seraing includes the old communes of Boncelles, Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, and Ougrée. With Liège, Herstal, Saint-Nicolas, Ans, and Flémalle it forms the greater Liège agglomeration...
, it tells the story of an 11-year-old boy who turns to a woman after his father has abandoned him. The film was produced through companies in Belgium, France and Italy. While it does not deviate from the naturalistic style of the Dardenne brothers' earlier works, a brighter aesthetic than usual was employed, and the screenplay had a structure inspired by fairytales. Unusually for a film by the directors it also uses music. It premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival
2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
and won the festival's Grand Prix
Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
.
Plot
Cyril, 11 years old, has been left in children's home, for what he has been told is temporary, and sets out to find his father who left him there. He cannot believe his father moved away from their apartment without telling him, and that even his bikeBicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
is missing. By chance he meets the hairdresser Samantha, who buys his bike back from someone who had it in his possession and claimed he had bought it from the father, and gives it back to Cyril. At his request she allows him to live with her on weekends. Cyril does not believe his father sold his bike, he thinks it must have been stolen from him, but then he sees an advertisement his father posted for it, and is devastated. Together Samantha and Cyril find the father, but he does not want Cyril anymore.
Another person who offers Cyril his company is a local criminal. He is kind to Cyril to gain his trust and loyalty, then prepares him for committing a robbery by hitting the victim with a baseball bat. Because a second man shows up Cyril hits him too. The criminal friend drives the runaway car, but does not want any of the money, because the men (father and son) seem hit more severely than intended, he demands that Cyril will not tell anybody that he was involved.
Cyril brings the money to his father but he does not want it either, it could get him into trouble. Samantha takes Cyril to the police. She promises to pay for the damage, which settles the matter. The father accepts Cyril's apologies, but his son does not.
Later the son attacks Cyril, with the result that the latter falls from a tree. Since it looks serious, the father and son discuss what lies to tell to the police. However, it is not so bad, and Cyril cycles away.
Cast
- Cécile de FranceCécile de FranceCécile de France is a Belgian actress. After achieving success in French cinema hits such as L'Art de la séduction and Irène , she gained international attention for her lead role in Haute Tension and Hereafter .- Career :Born in Namur, she left Belgium at the age of 17 to go to Paris where she...
as Samantha - Thomas Doret as Cyril
- Jérémie RenierJérémie RenierJérémie Renier is a Belgian actor. He lives in Paris, France. His film debut was in the critically praised La Promesse , directed by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. He became better known to worldwide audiences in Brotherhood of the Wolf and L'Enfant...
as Guy Catoul - Fabrizio Rongione as bookseller
- Egon Di Mateo as Wes
- Olivier GourmetOlivier GourmetOlivier Gourmet is a Belgian actor. He won the Best Actor award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for his role in Le Fils by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. He also appeared in La Promesse, Rosetta and L'Enfant....
as café owner
Production
Luc Dardenne said that he and his brother Jean-PierreDardenne brothers
Brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne are a Belgian filmmaking duo...
had for a long time had the idea of a film about "a woman who helps a boy emerge from the violence that holds him prisoner." Writing the screenplay took one year including a few breaks. In the earliest drafts, the character Samantha was a doctor and not a hairdresser. The script was structured with a fairytale in mind, where the boy would lose his illusions and Samantha would appear as a fairy-like figure. By not explaining much about the characters' past and psychology, the brothers aimed to avoid sentimentality. Throughout the writing process the brothers strived to maintain a strong clarity in the overall work and avoid gloom, which is why the brothers, according to Jean-Pierre, decided to omit "any form of vulgarity in the teenagers' language, even though they're street criminals."
The film was a co-production with 46% investment from the directors' Belgian company Les Films du Fleuve, 44% from the French Archipel 35 and 10% from Italy's Lucky Red. It received further funding from the CNC, Eurimages
Eurimages
Eurimages is the Council of Europe fund for the co-production, distribution, exhibition and digitisation of European cinematographic works. It aims to promote the European film industry by encouraging the production and distribution of films and fostering co-operation between professionals....
, Wallimage, Radio Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française and the Belgian French Community.
Cécile de France
Cécile de France
Cécile de France is a Belgian actress. After achieving success in French cinema hits such as L'Art de la séduction and Irène , she gained international attention for her lead role in Haute Tension and Hereafter .- Career :Born in Namur, she left Belgium at the age of 17 to go to Paris where she...
was offered the role of Samantha soon after the screenplay was finished, as the brothers believed she would be able to portray the kindness of the character with her body and face alone. For the casting of the boy, Cyril, the production team held around 100 auditions. Thomas Doret was the fifth applicant the brothers met, and according to Jean-Pierre, "it clicked right away." The team rehearsed for a month on the actual sets in full costume.
The 55-day shoot commenced in Belgium in August and ended 15 October 2010. It was the first time the Dardenne brothers made a film in the summer. The film was made under the production title Délivrez-moi! which means "Set me free!"
Unusually for a film by the Dardenne brothers there is music in the film. According to Luc, they hesitated for a long time, but eventually decided that music would serve the film's structure: "In a fairytale there has to be a development, with emotions and new beginnings. It seemed to us that music, at certain points, could act like a calming caress for Cyril."
Release
The film premiered In Competition on 15 May at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from May 11 to May 22, 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition...
. Cineart distributed it in Belgium and Diaphana Films in France. The premiere in both countries took place on 18 May. In Belgium, the film was launched on 27 screens and entered the box-office chart as number six, with a weekend gross of 70,768 euro. In France it was launched in 172 venues and had an attendance of 107,763 the opening week, which also resulted in a sixth place on the domestic chart. One week later the number of screens had been increased to 215, and the total attendance reached 209,725. In Italy the film was released on 18 May through Lucky Red. Sundance Selects acquired the distribution rights for the United States. The film will be distributed in the United Kingdom through Artificial Eye
Artificial eye
Artificial eye may refer to:* Visual prosthesis, functioning implant designed to restore sight* Ocular prosthesis, non-functioning cosmetic replacement for a lost eye...
.
Reception
Jonathan Romney wrote in Screen DailyScreen International
Screen International is a multimedia film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by EMAP, a British b2b media company.The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global movie business...
: "After the slightly sub-par Lorna's Silence (2008), the brothers are back on peerless form with this story of innocence betrayed and befriended, which must count as one of the best films about childhood since Kes
Kes (film)
Kes is a 1969 British film from director Ken Loach and producer Tony Garnett. The film is based on the novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by the Barnsley-born author Barry Hines in 1968...
- or for that matter Bicycle Thieves
Bicycle Thieves
Bicycle Thieves , also known as The Bicycle Thief, is a 1948 Italian neorealist film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of a poor man searching the streets of Rome for his stolen bicycle, which he needs to be able to work. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Luigi...
, to which it surely nods." Romney further commented: "Shooting as usual with cinematographer Alain Marcoen, and in their familiar stamping ground of Seraing
Seraing
Seraing is a Walloon municipality of Belgium in Province of Liege. The municipality of Seraing includes the old communes of Boncelles, Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, and Ougrée. With Liège, Herstal, Saint-Nicolas, Ans, and Flémalle it forms the greater Liège agglomeration...
, the brothers this time bring a somewhat different, airier look to their locations, more suburban than in the past. Marcoen's camerawork, also, is rather more free-wheeling than the tightly constrained (and often imitated) tightness of The Son
The Son (film)
-Synopsis:Olivier , a carpenter by trade who teaches at a trades training centre, knowingly takes on Francis Thorion, the murderer of his son, as an apprentice. Francis is unaware of his connection with Olivier from five years ago. Olivier, tormented by the loss of his son and his separation from...
."
The film received the Grand Prix
Grand Prix (Cannes Film Festival)
The Grand Prix is an award of the Cannes Film Festival bestowed by the jury of the festival on one of the competing feature films. It is the second-most prestigious prize of the festival after the Palme d'Or...
at the Cannes film Festival, which is the festival's second most prestigious award. The win was shared with the Turkish film Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia
Once Upon a Time in Anatolia is a 2011 Turkish drama film, co-written and directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan based on the true experience of one of the film's writers, telling the story of a group of men who search for a dead body on the Anatolian steppe...
.