The Kid with a Bike (2011)

Abandoned by his father, a young boy is left in a state-run youth farm. In a random act of kindness, the town hair-dresser agrees to foster him on week-ends.

Directors:

Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Writers:

Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne

Stars:

Thomas Doret, Cécile de France, Jérémie Renier

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Thomas Doret	...	Cyril
Cécile de France	...	Samantha (as Cécile De France)
Jérémie Renier	...	Guy Catoul
Fabrizio Rongione	...	Le libraire
Egon Di Mateo	...	Wes
Olivier Gourmet	...	Avec la participation de
Baptiste Sornin	...	Éducateur 1
Samuel De Ryck	...	Éducateur 2 (as Samuel De Rijk)
Carl Jadot	...	Instituteur
Claudy Delfosse	...	Homme gare de bus
Jean-Michel Balthazar	...	Voisin Val Polet
Frédéric Dussenne	...	Concierge
Myriem Akheddiou	...	L'assistante médicale
Sandra Raco	...	Éducatrice
Hicham Slaoui	...	Directeur

Storyline

At about 11, the stubborn and impulsive Cyril seems on his way to delinquency: he has no mother, his father wants a new life without him, so he's in a foster institution. He searches for his father, wanting him and his bike. Through the intersession of Samantha, a hairdresser Cyril happens upon, he gets his bike back, and she offers to take him into her home on weekends. He remains aloof from her and gets involved with a young crook. Is Cyril intent on driving Samantha away - and what then?

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Plot Keywords:

boy | tears | crying | family relationships | foster home | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, violence, brief language and smoking

Did You Know?

Trivia

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.

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Goofs

When the hairdresser is leaving the orphanage after she returned Cyrill's bike the car she is driving makes the sound of Diesel engine, but in the next scene with the same car the car sounds like it has a petrol engine.

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Quotes

Wes: May I call you Pitbull?

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Connections

Features Gears of War 3 (2011)

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Soundtracks

DDT01 et DDT02
Written by SRG
Performed by SRG

User Reviews

the kid in red

without any introductions, the film gets down to the story. a kid on the phone is all but accepting to hear that the number he dialed is out of service. a precisely fluid social humanist film about a 11 year old kid and his relentless quests to go all the way to, against everybody's wishes, find a parent that wants nothing to do with him. basing his stance on the argument that his father would never leave without leaving him his bike.

once retrieved, the bike serves as the catalyst that allows the kid to advance, more in a figurative sense; we see him fight and bite for it. the last relic of a family life to him.

the kid in red is a lot of things: determined with rage and astounding obstinacy, always on the move, has nothing to lose so he goes to the limits. at one point, he nervously plays with a faucet as to not lose face in front of such injustice. but in his misfortune, Samantha, an adult portraying a kind stranger and genuine goodness, generosity and warmth, takes care of him. being emotionally distant, the kid rejects her at first and goes on exploring until he finally finds himself in his most despairing moment.. the kid remains a very interesting character to me, he is easy to deceive, capable of violence, but only because he is affectionate at heart and more honest than the people he deals with. which resonates with me as the film is able to kindle bits of memories of the audience.

Details

Official Sites:

Diaphana [France] Official site

Country:

Belgium France Italy

Language:

French

Release Date:

18 May 2011 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

The Kid with a Bike

Filming Locations:

Belgium

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$45,933, 18 March 2012

Gross USA:

$1,470,000

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$7,011,798

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Fleuve, Archipel 35, Lucky Red

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1