LE GAMIN AU VÉLO (The Kid With A Bike) written and directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (Belgium/France, 2011)
Parenting has its rewards but can be also be a thankless task and this movie highlights the physical and psychological demands that go with the territory,
The implicit message of the story is that single fathers are frequently unable to cope with the daily demands of ‘difficult’ children and this leaves women to fill the emotional void left by their absence.
Cyril (Thomas Doret) is 11 years old and a bundle of nervous energy. He’s like a video game character constantly on the move to avoid being shot or captured.
Most of the time we see him running or cycling towards something, frantically chasing a moving target that is always beyond reach. His fierce determination and violent outbursts earn him the nickname of Pitbull.
His primary goal is his father who has left him in a care home and moved away without leaving a forwarding address. The kid can’t believe he’s been abandoned because this would mean that he has lost not just his dad but also his bike (we never learn what became of his mother). He eventually recovers his bike but is rejected by his dad.
In the course of his pursuit, he bonds with a mother substitute, Samantha (Cécile De France) , a young woman who agrees to take Cyril into foster care at weekends. Samantha is a model of fortitude, offering the child unconditional love and support.
Despite plenty of provocation, she never resorts to threats or physical punishment and barely raises her voice. Instead, she shows her firm resolve through her words and actions. She has become Cyril’s proxy parent after a chance encounter and there would be no disgrace in returning him to the care home. But instead of giving up on him she counters the boy’s self-destructive behaviour with a combination of resilience and tenderness.
There is no indication that any religious faith drives this selfless devotion, it appears to be simply a heightened compassion for a child at war with himself. You can only suspect that something of her own experience allows her to respond with such exemplary humanity.
This relatively short (123 minute) movie by the Belgian brothers has all the ingredients of modern-day moral fable in the style of Kryszlof Kieslowski. It has been greeted with universal acclaim by the critics and while it addresses the plight of the young boy with real compassion, Samantha is so saint-like you can’t help but wonder where her infinite reserves of patience come from.
