Kid (2012) Reviews

• Fine Observational Motion Picture

  EdgarST2013-07-22

  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.

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• Remarkable film without a clear story line, and yet gripping us all the time. Leaves us ample room to connect the dots and fill in the gaps.

  JvH482013-02-03

  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.

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• In many ways, an extreme film

  rubenm2013-01-27

  She doesn't want to make nice, polished films, Flemish director Fien Troch recently told the Belgian press. What she wants to do is nothing less than re-invent film making. With her third film 'Kid', she has more or less succeeded. I have never seen a film like this. It is in many ways extreme. Troch observes the life of a boy named Kid with a cold, clinical distance. The camera is used for observing, and only that. There is no effort to connect the audience emotionally to the story. There is no identification with the actors. There is no real difference between scenes showing someone walking through a wood, or someone being shot. The film consists of scenes that at first seem unconnected. But slowly, the audience starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together and understands what is going on. Kid, a boy of about nine or ten years old, is not a nice child. He behaves badly and is unsympathetic towards other people. He lives in a farmhouse with his brother and his mother, who is deeply in debt and doesn't seem to be able to cope with the situation. Towards the end of the film, things get more dramatic. But even the most shocking events are being shown without any emotionality. The cinematography of this film is very special. Almost every scene is filmed with a static camera. Troch meticulously frames these shots, and they often have a graphic, symmetrical quality. I have counted the camera movements: if I'm not mistaken, there are three in the whole film, one of which is shown twice. (In a way, I think this is a pity. It would be even nicer to be able to say this is a film without any camera movement at all. It would better fit the uncompromising way of film making Troch favours). Another thing that makes this film special, is the dialogue. There is hardly any. Sometimes someone says something, but often this is barely audible because the actors speak softly and don't articulate well. I think Troch has done this on purpose: she wants the images to speak for themselves. This is an extremely visual film, and after all visuality is what it's about in films. In her interviews, Troch explains that she instructed the actors to put as little feeling in their 'dialogue' as possible, and to speak their parts as if they were reading a shopping list aloud. This is a film that will not be appreciated by everyone. But for those who watch it, it can be a very special experience. Is it a good experience? That's another question. Some people will be put off by the extremely cold and unemotional approach. Others will enjoy the visual quality of the scenes (they are not beautiful in any way, but very carefully composed). One thing is certain. Fien Troch is a director with a very personal approach to film making. And we can only be happy about that in a time when there are so many crowd pleasing directors.

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• Stunning performance, especially by Meeusen

  robbedebruyn-850172019-03-01

  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!

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