- The Kid with a Bike
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The Kid with a Bike 
Theatrical release posterDirected by Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Luc DardenneProduced by Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Luc Dardenne
Denis FreydWritten by Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Luc DardenneStarring Cécile de France
Thomas DoretCinematography Alain Marcoen Editing by Marie-Hélène Dozo Studio Archipel 35
Les Films du Fleuve
Lucky RedDistributed by Cineart (Belgium)
Diaphana Films (France)Release date(s) 15 May 2011 (Cannes Film Festival)
18 May 2011Running time 87 minutes Country Belgium
France
ItalyLanguage French 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 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.[1] 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.
Contents
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 bike 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 France as Samantha
- Thomas Doret as Cyril
- Jérémie Renier as Guy Catoul
- Fabrizio Rongione as bookseller
- Egon Di Mateo as Wes
- Olivier Gourmet as café owner
Production
Luc Dardenne said that he and his brother Jean-Pierre 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."[2] 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.[2] 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."[3]
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.[4][5]
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."[2] The team rehearsed for a month on the actual sets in full costume.[2]
The 55-day shoot commenced in Belgium in August and ended 15 October 2010.[2][5] It was the first time the Dardenne brothers made a film in the summer.[2] The film was made under the production title Délivrez-moi! which means "Set me free!"[6]
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."[2]
Release
Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Thomas Doret, Cécile de France and Luc Dardenne at the Cannes Film Festival for the premiere of the film
The film premiered In Competition on 15 May at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.[7] Cineart distributed it in Belgium and Diaphana Films in France. The premiere in both countries took place on 18 May.[8] 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.[9] 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.[10] In Italy the film was released on 18 May through Lucky Red.[8] Sundance Selects acquired the distribution rights for the United States.[11] The film will be distributed in the United Kingdom through Artificial Eye.[12]
Reception
Jonathan Romney wrote in Screen Daily: "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."[13]
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.[14]
References
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (2010-05-06). "Dardenne brothers and Kusturica in Wild Bunch line-up". Cineuropa. http://cineuropa.org/newsdetail.aspx?documentID=145063. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
- ^ a b c d e f g "An interview with Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne". The Kid with a Bike press kit. Wild Bunch. http://www.festival-cannes.com/assets/Image/Direct/040780.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ La Porta, Domenico (2011-04-28). "Interview with Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne". Cineuropa. http://cineuropa.org/interview.aspx?lang=en&documentID=203082. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (2010-07-12). "Resnais prepares Vous N'avez Encore Rien Vu". Cineuropa. http://cineuropa.org/newsdetail.aspx?lang=en&documentID=148554. Retrieved 2011-01-14.
- ^ a b "The Kid With A Bike (Le Gamin Au Vélo)". Screenbase. Screen International. http://screenbase.screendaily.com/films/830. Retrieved 2011-02-17.
- ^ Lavalle, Eric (2011-02-04). "Dardennes' Cannes Destined Latest Titled 'The Kid With a Bike'". Ioncinema. http://www.ioncinema.com/news/id/6096/dardennes-cannes-destined-latest-titled-the-kid-with-a-bike. Retrieved 2011-02-06.
- ^ "Horaires 2011" (in French). festival-cannes.com. Cannes Film Festival. http://www.festival-cannes.fr/assets/File/Web/HORAIRES%202011/Horaire%20internet.pdf. Retrieved 2011-05-07.
- ^ a b "Film profile: Le gamin au vélo". Cineuropa. http://cineuropa.org/film.aspx?documentID=200972. Retrieved 2011-04-17.
- ^ "Belgium Box Office: May 18–22, 2011". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/belgium/?yr=2011&wk=20&p=.htm. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
- ^ "Le Gamin au vélo" (in French). JP's Box-Office. http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=12107&affich=france&deplier=yes. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
- ^ Kay, Jeremy (2011-05-20). "Sundance Selects rides with Dardenne brothers and Bonello". Screen Daily. http://www.screendaily.com/news/distribution/sundance-selects-rides-with-dardenne-brothers-and-bonello/5027930.article. Retrieved 2011-05-30.
- ^ Ludemann, Ralf (2011-06-02). "U.K.'s Artificial Eye Picks Up Cannes Competition Titles". The Hollywood Reporter. http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/uks-artificial-eye-picks-up-194328. Retrieved 2011-06-02.
- ^ Romney, Jonathan (2011-05-15). "The Kid With A Bike". Screen Daily. http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/latest-reviews/the-kid-with-a-bike/5027553.article. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
- ^ Chang, Justin (2011-05-22). "'Tree of Life' wins Palme d'Or". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118037426?refCatId=13. Retrieved 2011-05-22.
External links
- Official website (French)
- The Kid with a Bike at the Internet Movie Database
Films directed by the Dardenne brothers Falsch · I Think of You · The Promise · Rosetta · The Son · L'Enfant · Lorna's Silence · The Kid with a BikeCategories:- 2011 films
- Belgian films
- French films
- Italian films
- French-language films
- 2010s drama films
- Films directed by the Dardenne brothers
- Films set in Belgium
- Films shot in Belgium
- Belgium in fiction
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