Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s sublime tale of love and redemption
begins with an 11-year-old boy in frantic, desperate motion. Refusing to
acknowledge that he’s been abandoned by his father, Cyril escapes the
children’s home where he’s been living, hoping to be reunited with his
dad—and to find his lost bicycle. He returns to the apartment complex
where they once lived, only to find a deserted flat. As the authorities from
the children’s home catch up with him and try to bring him back, Cyril,
refusing to return, tightly grips a total stranger, a kind, patient woman
named Samantha, who will prove to be the heartbroken boy’s savior.
Samantha becomes the parent that Cyril so desperately needs, one who
will soothe him during his rages and help him cope with the devastating
news that his father never wants to see him again.
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