GFF 2012: The Kid With a Bike

All you really need to know about the Dardenne brothers' new film is that it concerns a kid and his bike. Watching the work of this extraordinary filmmaking team with no prior knowledge of its content is one of the most exhilarating experiences contemporary cinema has to offer. Driven by the turbulent emotions and restless energy of prickly newcomer Thomas Doret, The Kid with a Bike takes a number of unexpected turns towards its heart-stopping finale as the Dardennes once again prove themselves to be master storytellers. As Cyril (Doret) searches for the father who rejected him (Jérémie Renier), the Dardennes gradually draw us into his world to the point where we are completely riveted and begin to care deeply about the outcome of his story. That the film manages to move the viewer so profoundly while remaining completely free of any false sentimentality could be regarded as a special achievement, but it's simply par for the course for this peerless filmmaking duo. [Philip Concannon]