Viewed in
2010
Premise
François Truffaut's classic about a troubled boy in 1950's France who is unhappy at school and at home.
Loved
Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel.
Liked
The adult themes. Ridiculous camera movements. Natural behavior of kids.
Disliked
The slow pace.
Thoughts
A very interesting and thoughtful film.
I was very impressed that the film makers tried to make an adult, character-driven film with a child actor as the main lead. I really enjoyed the dynamics between him and his parents, his teachers, and fellow students. Quite often the dialogue and relationships were universal, despite that it took place in France two generations before my time. It did not glorify nor over exaggerate his difficulties. They exist in his life, and we observe how he and his family live as such.
What I did not expect were the wonderful, light-hearted, slice-of-life moments weaved between harsh scenes. They say that child actors often are great at acting naturally. This film supported that theory. I loved the scenes of kids goofing around in class, just like any school I grew up in. Their behavior was impeccably organic. This film reminded me of Grave of the Fireflies. Not just in terms of runaway kids living in an adult world. But also how those lonely children and resenting adults treated each other.
Another thing I did not expect was the ridiculously wonderful camera work. Sometimes it had to film cramped, claustrophobic apartments, other times it was moving around like a free bird. One of my favorite shots was when the boys class cleverly orchestrated their escape from their gym teacher, as the camera in the sky captured it all in one fluid take, following the action as it moved down the streets of France. About halfway through, these types of complex, elongated dolly shots became very noticeable, almost to the point of distraction and pretentiousness. Having said that, I definitely loved that iconic, ambiguous ending and running sequence.
One flaw was that it was very slow, even for an old school movie. I watched and marveled at the realistic obstacles and events that occurred to Doinel, yet every once in a while I have the urge to check the time, wondering when this will end.
For film buffs, this was a must-see film. I never knew they had such authentic human characters story-told so dynamic and complex in the late 1950's.
What I would change
Nothing.
