The Kid with a Bike

Cyril is eleven, in a children's home, and convinced his father is coming to get him. His father has cut off the phone, emptied the flat and sold his bicycle. Cyril runs away to the old building and there latches onto Samantha, a hairdresser, who buys the bike back and agrees to have him at weekends. Cyril does not understand why she does it, and he drifts toward a dealer in the neighbourhood. Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne directed. Cecile de France plays Samantha and Thomas Doret plays Cyril in his first film. The Dardennes shot again in Seraing in Belgium, their own town and the setting of almost all their work. The style is the one they are known for: handheld camera, steady following, no music and no explanation. It shared the Grand Prix at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. There is one exception in the casting. The Dardennes usually work with unknowns; here they took one of Belgium's best-known stars in Cecile de France and erased every trace of stardom from the part. Who it is for: viewers who like social realist cinema and want to see one of the great child performances. Who it is not for: anyone waiting for an explanation. The film never says why Samantha takes this boy on and deliberately leaves it open.