Everyfilmin2012 has been blessed with a new way of watching movies - the internet link.
Nowadays, instead of sending me a DVD, film companies sign me up to a secret internet location to enable me to see the movie online.
Then, I can play it through our smart TV (it really is about time Panasonic advertised here, considering the amount of mentions they receive).
Unfortunately, my The Kid With A Bike review is a bit late because I couldn't even manage to understand this simple technology.
However, thanks to Jake at Artificial Eye, a big supporter of everyfilm, I have now taken in the Dardennes Brothers latest award-winning movie about a boy who has been abandoned by his father.
And I have to say, it has left me torn.
Firstly, I was staggered by the performance of debutant Thomas Doret. The energy he has, playing 11-year-old Cyril is startling.
Most of the time, when Cyril is not running (he runs and runs and runs) he is fighting and biting (adults or kids).
But, while he portrays the character's anger superbly, he is also a natural in moments of tenderness too.
The plot begins with him trying to break out of a state-run farm to get to see his feckless father (he sees none of his faults).
In one of his escapes, he literally bumps into Samantha (Cecile De France), who takes to the vulnerable young boy to the point that she agrees to foster him at weekends.
I don't know how easy this is in France but the fostering process seems a bit lax by comparison to the UK (the very next weekend Cyril is in her charge).
Inevitably, she finds out that Cyril is even more wild than she imagines.
A Kid With The Bike resonated considerably with me because my parents fostered children when I was growing up to the point that one girl ended up living with us.
She is still part of the family today but I know that some of the times with her and her brother were tricky in those early days.
The Dardennes brothers' pitch, I can confirm, is spot on and my heart went out to Cyril.
But I struggled to get my head around the ease in which Samantha was able to take the boy in and in which the father was just able to walk away. It all seems too simple.
The first half of the movie had me rapt, the second was too much of the same.
Thus, I'm going to say that I enjoyed it (I can't believe young Doret hasn't had an award for his performance) but I am not as over the top in my appreciation as some reviewers.
Laughs: none
Jumps: two
Vomit: none
Nudity: none
Overall rating: 7/10
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