Topher-Liam
4Apr13
wait. why would you post the plot? (just curious, not judging)
Wall
Displaying wall posts 1 - 30 of 75 in total
janice.hughes
28Feb13
An ineffectual father abandons his son to a care home and runs off to work as a chef. The boy is sure his father really wants him back and searches for his treasured bike as symbol of his loss. He is found by a rather wonderful young hairdresser who tussles with him and his damaged psyche through lying, drug dealers and wild escapes. She remains unperturbed and sticks with Cyril through thick and thin.
christopherjohn
19Feb13
The places where this child goes are so deep, so dark, and so fully realized. One can only hope that he is just so talented and playful an actor, and has never had nor never will have to experience these emotions firsthand. And Cecile de France goes right there with him.
Topher-Liam likes this
Diogo Henrique Martins
26Jan13
What a mix of feelings. At the beginning, I was like ''I want to give him some slaps''. At the end, I wanted to hug him. Annoying kids who can be quiet and lovely.
teresavontrier likes this
Maar likes this
Salvador Amores
2Jan13
After the lesser Lorna's Silence, the Dardennes come back into full-form with a film that is very similar to Rosetta: a tale about the difficulties of coming of age. Simple yet incredibly powerful, another masterpiece. Also, the Dardennes are by now the untouchable masters of handheld camera.
Film Coach
29Dec12
Watch if you need a lesson in what happens to kids who suffer from father hunger. Abandonment rips the heart out of a child and this one acts out in ways that potentially destroys his very life.
Rock Streams Leper
28Dec12
The first half would have made for a very good short film. The second half makes it an after school special. With an awful use of music. 2/5
Sean Keeley
20Dec12
A beautiful character portrait that is unsparing and often uncomfortable, but ultimately uplifting without resorting to sentimentality. Think The 400 Blows combined with Bicycle Thieves and a touch of Bresson. The Dardennes' intelligent and expressive use of handheld camera work is also a notable asset, putting to shame the lazy shaky style that's fashionable in recent Hollywood movies.
Orlando likes this
Orlando and Dominic Simard-Jean like this
Jordan Peters
30Nov12
Great performances elevate the great writing and it results in a really great film. Simply lovely.
galuh indri
19Nov12
Samantha: Don't be upset if it's not the way you dream it'll be. Cyril Catoul: I'm not dreaming.
Cole Caudle
23Sep12
Very good, very solid, but lacks something. I was never completely engrossed though the film's final few minutes are very compelling. Perhaps Samantha is presented a bit too opaquely. Her unconditional acceptance of Cyril seems too good to be true at times.
Rman
9Sep12
I can`t understand why Dardenne brothers keep directing all this crap and I also can`t get why festivals are worshipping their mediocre movies!
Hossein Booyeh likes this
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Hossein Booyeh
9Sep12
totally with you on this one just like many others. they keep making these BS and nobody can tell what's with all the fuss around them.
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Slow Immersion
12Sep12
Thanks for this comment; you just saved me a trip to the local picturehouse to see this. I saw Rosetta and the Son and was dubious whether it was worth bothering with, as I was unimpressed thematically, stylistically, and aesthetically, with their prior films.
Vaida Kazlauskaitė
1Aug12
I found it simply boring. Random story, random cinematography, random acting, great PR.
Spencer Neale
14Jul12
economical camera, incredible edits and a strong but simple, short story. incredible acting from the child. I was less baffled than a previous poster at beethoven popping up here and there, it allotted some emotional warmth into the coldest of situations
tiagovitoria likes this
Judicial Joe
8Jul12
I really enjoyed this film - some parts reminded me of my formative years as a hyperactive, prone to mood swings 10-year-old. The kid who played Cyril was incredible - I hope he continues acting and becomes a star in Europe. This was my first Dardennes, and I like their to the point, humane style quite a bit.
WhatsUpWill likes this
Nutter Jr
4Jun12
A touching story that manages to capture the purity of love in more ways than one in just 87 mins: Firstly through the love and almost adoration of a child for his father even when his father's love towards him is not reciprocated. And then the random but true and deep love of a woman stranger to this boy which he is not in a position to appreciate as he keeps on seeking for his father's love... Subtle and poetic.
This is Jake Kath
17May12
I need to see this one again. I've been a fan of the Dardenne brother's observant lens for a while now but I'm not quite sure if I fully love this one. Its painful and yet life affirming to see the youthful abandonment presented on screens. The comparisons to 400 blows are there. You want to help Cyril but very little can be done.
Caligula
14May12
Anyone who thinks this film is "unsentimental" is confused. Don't mistake long takes, hand held camera, and a sparingly used score for being unsentimental. It's a sentimental, underwhelming, and manipulative effort by the Dardennes, and undeserving of sharing the Cannes Grand Prix with Ceylan's staggering Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (but wholly unsurprising, given that the Dardennes are obvious Cannes darlings).
Annie Gentil
28Apr12
Not my favorite film from the Dardenne brothers but still heartbreaking and full of emotions...
msmichel
25Apr12
Though not up to par with their last few efforts, this new picture from the Dardennes is still a moving capture about a child dealing with abandonment and acting out in his own emotionally stunted way. The problem is the kid enacted by Thomas Doret is such a right little bastard that its hard to feel empathy towards him and Cecile de France's character here is just wings away from being an angel. Good just not great.
Dalila likes this
Prewitt
24Apr12
The Dardenne brothers never disappoint and this is one of their best and most emotionally complex films yet. Loved it.
Orlando likes this
oneaprilday
20Apr12
A beautifully developed film that burrows deeply by slow degrees w/o you quite understanding how it happens. The emotional investment in the character is so profound by the last 3rd of the story that every nerve and fiber strains with the tension. The smallest circumstance, line of dialogue, or facial expression holds maximum impact. A marvelous film w/ an absolutely stunning central performance and superb direction.
Garry Eunson
20Apr12
I really enjoyed this beautifully told little film. There where many things that impressed me about this film. Especially the sparing use of sound track-about as much music as The Artist used dialogue-allowing the audience to enjoy some wonderful sound design. I'd buy a ticket to watch Cecile de France read La Monde! But this film was a lovely treat for film lovers.