Written
May 3, 2012
250 Blows (or maybe 600)
Kid with a Bike is, first of all, gripping. The Kid is, like M. Leaud, a scene stealer, not deliberately, rather because the acting is so natural. Every moment he is on the screen, which is almost every moment, you cannot not watch. The reactions to what happens to him are inscrutable at first--you immediately see determination, but without understanding what drives it. Then, slowly, the reasons behind the reactions reveal themselves through the face and the eyes of the Kid. While there are a couple of plot twists that don't seem completely necessary, on reflection they are cathartic and underline the evolution of the characters. If this movie doesn't grab your heart, you don't have one. The references to 400 Blows are subtle--it isn't a retelling at all--and the final frame has the same heart-stopping effect of the final frame in the earlier movie--the entire experience flashed back through your mind as the camera lingers on the one final shot. Less dramatic, equally effective
-
5
out of
6
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