The Kid with a Bike

The Kid with a Bike: The latest film from Begium’s Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne is shaped with the same raw, fluid realism that has won them the Palme D’Or twice in Cannes (for Rosetta and L’Enfant). It also features their favorite theme: imperiled youth. A renegade 11-year-old boy, abandoned by his parents, is rescued by a hairdresser (Cécile de France), who agrees to be his guardian as he strays into delinquency. The hard edges of the drama are beveled with more sentiment than the Dardenne brothers usually allow, but the drama meets their gold standard: it’s gripping, visceral and always believable.