LFF 2011 Diary: The Kid with a Bike (Rating: ****)An excellent example of socially realistic French cinema, The Kid with a Bike is an engaging and well-acted drama focusing on the relationship between 11-year old Cyril (Thomas Doret) and local hairdresser Samantha (Cecile De France).

Directed by the Dardenne brothers (The Child, Rosetta), the film is skilfully shot and well paced, sustaining a believability and emotional

naturalness throughout. At the heart of it are the terrific performances of the two leads – Doret acts far beyond his age and De France continues a recent string of accomplished parts.

The story follows Cyril’s desperation to find his bicycle, which he is convinced has been stolen from his dad, Guy Catoul (Jeremie Renier). The tragedy lies in their father-son relationship; it quickly becomes apparent that Guy is an absent parent with very little interest in seeing, or even hearing from his child. Due to this neglect, Cyril is difficult – he often throws fits of anger, torn between the desire for affection and the determination to exist independently. Eventually, in a chance encounter, he meets Samantha. Like Cyril, her life is lacking a purpose – she has a boyfriend who we see little of, as well as her own salon, but there’s a melancholy to her existence. Cyril offers something different – Samantha begins to see him at weekends and, while he can be tricky to control, the pair quickly form a strong bond. Their dynamic regularly shifts from love to hate, and visa versa, in the blink of an eye; yet they always retain an amount of respect and affection for one an-other that is genuinely heart-warming.

There is a strong theme of movement within the film, tracking shots of Cyril riding his bicycle take part in many of the scenes, though these are not merely present for to be artistic. This is a refreshing break from the often pretentious and vacuous use of cinematography for the sake of cinematography.

Methodically crafted right up until the denouement, the film’s ending feels distant from the entire preceding spectacle. Tonally, it shifts into a deeper context, where-as the rest of the piece feels completely ground. It is an unwelcome change and one that does a disservice to the film as a whole. Regardless, a less than perfect conclusion does not spoil an otherwise excellent cinematic experience.

A completely believable and immersive social drama fuelled by pitch-perfect characters and a superb script, The Kid with a Bike is one of the finest films at this year’s London Film Festival. TG