Kid

Though I cannot be sure, I assume that your remembrance of the story will radically differ from mine,. But still, each of us is convinced to know the correct interpretation.

Two brothers and a mother on a farm that is obviously not prospering very well, plus an absent father figure who left for some reason we don't really get to know. Even worse, the mother is shot halfway the story, but we know of no definite reason for such a drastic measure. Still, we eagerly watch what's going on, and want to know how the plot progresses.

I saw this film at the Rotterdam film festival 2013, as part of the Spectrum section. It received mixed reviews from the audience, either extremely positive or negative. There seems to be no middle road with this film.

The music score is a mixture of a choir singing a capella, minimal/electronic music in the background, or a church choir with organ in a roman catholic setting, the latter in circumstances where we expect such, like a funeral. The music comes up spuriously and unexpectedly, but at times that are well chosen.

All in all, it is not very clear why I like this movie so much. It develops slowly but still leaves us not a boring moment. We saw something that looks like a happy end, but I'm not sure it will indeed work out very happily, rather develop in more trouble than we've seen already. The most intriguing observation is that the film makers leave us wondering so much about what the story really entails, and still they succeed in feeling me very lucky to have seen this film.

I must admit I am a fool for films that deal with children's problems and dilemmas while growing up, especially contemporary films, in which we spectators can watch, sometimes in awe, how children adapt to societies that have lost many ethical values, and how they are prepared to face a violent future, no matter what social class they belong to. Sometimes their problems have to do with sexual orientation and marginality (as "The Blossoming of Máximo Oliveros", from Philippines), absence of mother and her affection ("Kauwboy", from Holland) or political situation in their countries ("Black Bread", from Spain; "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation", from Brazil, and "Clandestine Childhood", from Argentina). "Kid" is a rather different film: it is the case of a very intelligent boy everybody knows as Kid (Bent Simons), whose father has gone, and who lives in a beautiful and big farm, with his kid brother Billy (Maarten Meeusen) and passive mother (Gabriela Carrizo), whom he adores. As Kid goes to school, plays with his rascal friend Misty (a funny character played by little Sander van Sweevelt) and enjoys the countryside, his mother conforms in silence, while she is dispossessed of stock and equipment by creditors, and threatened by criminals for a debt (most probably her husband's): the possibility of selling the farm, move somewhere else with her children and start a new life is never considered, as we are neither told what her husband did, why he left and why he eventually returns bleeding. Those details are apparently irrelevant to what the film is concerned about. More than finding ways to survive in capitalist societies, recurring to its formulas, "Kid" is more like a portrait of desperate characters, most of them dehumanized and deprived of compassion. Furthermore, it is a revealing display of European people in despair and hopelessness, who have reached a stable economic situation, and face a bleak future. The old folks sing hymns in church, the young are jobless, and the children adapt as they grow and watch. Kid is a silent observer. He takes a radical decision, but it is not a surprising one. "Kid" belongs to the category of observational cinema, so if you are looking for action, formulas or industrially digested and sanitized stories, this motion picture is not for you. If you are open to different cinematic experiences, don't miss it, watch it.

This movie is a gem! Troch delivers an emotional portrait of two typical Flemish childrens. While the dialogue leaves viewers disappointed, the stunning performances of the kids make up for the entire picture. Especially Maarten Meeusen, who portrays Billy, plays his part in a natural and just plainly outstanding way. I want to see that kid in other projects too! This movie was solid as a rock!