The Kid with a Bike

Hats off to Thomas Doret here as he creates a character in "Cyril" that I'd cheerfully have strangled. Now, of course this young lad has some just cause for being a genuine pain in the neck. He's been abandoned by his mother; his father just wants shot of him and though his only real adult friend "Samantha" (Cécile de France) does her best she just isn't what the boy wants. When a lad tries to steal his bike - his lifeline for staying in touch with his dad - he gets involved in some fisticuffs that earns him the nickname "Pitbull" and a new friend in "Weston" (Egon Di Mateo). Nobody wants him to be his pal, though, as he has a reputation as the local drug dealer. The question for "Cyril" now is whether he accepts the freely offered, but more limiting, affection of "Samantha" or does he see his new and exciting best pal as a way to move on from his hopelessness. There's a solid supporting cast to illustrate the roles social services try to play in helping out, but it's all essentially about the young Doret and his ability to tell the story from a child's perspective: vulnerable, mischievous and craving someone who will want him. It's not without it's laughs, and is well worth and hour and an half.