I’d say 6/10
Screenplay: Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Key Cast: Cécile de France- Samantha, Thomas Doret- Cyril, Egon Di Mateo- Wes
Year: 2011
Runtime: 86 mins
The plot is somewhat simple. Cyril (Thomas Doret), a young boy who has been deserted by his father, relentlessly pursues him under the watchful eye of his new carer, Samantha (Cécile de France). In many respects the film could described as simple, with sparing use of music, a very ordinary setting and real life costumes.
But do not be deceived, this film is anything but simple. The Dardenne brothers have stuck to their speciality: this is a film about the complexities of real life, a film about people and relationships.
Despite a lack of experience, young Thomas Doret steps into his character with ease. Cyril, who is almost always on screen, is a troubled, pained and often destructive soul, which at times makes for painful viewing. A film about a child’s unreciprocated love for a parent is always going to prey on the audience’s sensitive side, but the accompanying themes of social problems and the conflicts of inter-generational relationships make the first half in particular uncomfortable to watch.
It is by chance that Cyril meets Samantha, a local hairdresser, who agrees to look after him at weekends. Samantha becomes almost like a fairy godmother to him. A motherly figure, she nurtures him and saves him from his uncontrollable rage. But it seems as though finding his father is the only thing that will calm him.
On his only brief encounter, Cyril is quick to forgive him, “Ce n’est pas grave.” He does not see through his father’s casual excuses and does not recognise, or understand, the love that Samantha offers him. In fact, we too do not know much about Samantha’s love for Cyril. The Dardennes provide no psychological explanation for the love that she feels for him, although it is evident that she becomes very attached to him.
As his mother figure, De France is given only a junior role in the story. Samantha is a guide for Cyril; he always remains the focus of the film. The story is built up entirely around his unrelenting pursuit of his father, his unrestrained temper and uncontrollable behaviour.
There is little variation in setting, but instead of being monotonous, this is symbolic. The Dardenne brothers create a geographical triangle – comprising of the estate, the forest and a petrol station – in which most of the film is set. The forestis symbolic because it is a place of danger and trouble, where human nature gets the better of people. The estate represents Cyril’s complex life; his past with his father and the present in limbo at home and with Samantha at weekends. The petrol station is a place where the plot takes significant turns.
Of course, no modern fairy tale would be complete without a bad guy, and indeed the film changes course when Cyril falls vulnerable to gang leader Wes (Egon Di Mateo), who presses him into crime. This brilliantly captures the vulnerability of a young boy being led astray, relating to youth gang culture. However, these scenes seem a little forced and perhaps over-dramatised, making them less believable, and for me, reducing the credibility of the film as a whole.
Both De France and Doret perform wonderfully, and despite a compelling screenplay the film is not quite as noteworthy as some of the Dardennes’s previous work. Amidst the themes of a troubled childhood, criminality, broken homes and destructive behaviour, a loving relationship emerges from the rubble.
Yet, the greatest juxtaposition comes in the form of the ending. It is not happy, but neither is it sad. The film ends somewhat abruptly, unexpectedly perhaps; the uncertainty of the future akin to reality.
green ice cream 