Capsule reviews for March 16

Delicacy

French actress Audrey Tautou (Amelie) might need to branch out a bit more after taking on a familiar role in this whimsical romance in which she plays a grief-stricken young Parisian widow who finds an unlikely new partner in a Swedish co-worker (Francois Damiens) who captures her heart three years later. Tautou’s performance is solid is an emotionally fragile businesswoman trying to sort out her feelings, but the film veers quickly into predictable territory, and doesn’t delve deeply enough into any of its more serious relationship issues. It’s an uneven rookie effort from director David Foenkinos, who based the screenplay on his novel. (Rated PG-13, 108 minutes).

Detachment

This provocative but heavy-handed drama about the state of contemporary American high schools tells the story of a substitute teacher (Adrien Brody) who connects well enough with his students but has a messy personal life that includes a prostitute houseguest and a dying father. Not that anyone around him is faring any better, with both students and educators alike seeming on the brink of suicide on an almost daily basis. The well-acted film is difficult to dismiss because it touches of its uncompromising focus on such topical and worthwhile issues, even if the approach of director Tony Kaye (American History X) is relentlessly cynical and depressing. (Not rated, 97 minutes).

The Kid with a Bike

The latest naturalistic drama of social realism from French siblings Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (Rosetta) is this stunning portrait of troubled youth, focusing on a preteen boy (Thomas Doret) still reeling from sudden abandonment by his father. A kind hairdresser (Cecile de France) agrees to become his foster mother, but the cynical youngster still tends to fall in with wrong crowd. It’s a quietly powerful film about redemption that works on multiple levels, thanks in part to its superb performances — including newcomer Doret — and a raw and riveting look at a boy forced to trade his beloved bicycle for premature adulthood. (Rated PG-13, 87 minutes).