01
Kes
Why this pick
Like The 400 Blows, it stays close to a boy dismissed by the adults around him, finding fleeting freedom and dignity in a vividly observed, unsentimental everyday world.
A FILM WORTH A CLOSER LOOKTHE FEATURE PRESENTATION
MOVIE1959 1h 39m FRA
IF THIS ONE STAYED WITH YOU
Movies like
The 400 Blows
Drama
CINEHUNCH / THE NEXT FRAME
Keep the feeling.
SIMILAR PICKS / A PERSONAL CONNECTION
If you loved The 400 Blows, try these.
01
02
The Spirit of the Beehive
Why this pick
Its child’s-eye perspective, quiet alienation, and precise visual storytelling echo Truffaut’s ability to make childhood feel both intimate and mysteriously vast.
03
Ratcatcher
Why this pick
A lyrical yet tough portrait of a troubled child drifting through a harsh environment, with the same sensitivity to small rebellions, isolation, and moments of escape.
04
Mouchette
Why this pick
Bresson’s spare, compassionate focus on a neglected adolescent shares The 400 Blows’ refusal to judge its young protagonist or soften the failures of adults.
05
The Young and the Damned
Why this pick
A bracing, humane look at children pushed to society’s margins; its social anger and attention to youthful survival complement Truffaut’s critique of adult institutions.
Finding the atmosphere, tension and little details that made this one stay with you.
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01 / THE STORY
A little about the film.
Antoine Doinel is a young boy growing up in Paris during the 1950s. Misunderstood by his parents for playing truant from school and stealing, and tormented in school for discipline problems by his teacher, (Antoine falsely explains his absence was due to his mother's death), Antoine frequently runs away from both places. He finally quits school after his teacher catches him plagiarizing Honoré de Balzac. He steals a typewriter from his stepfather's workplace to finance his plans to leave home, but is apprehended while trying to return it.
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02 / FACES IN THE FRAME
The people who bring it to life.
Jean-Pierre Léaud
Antoine Doinel
Claire Maurier
Gilberte Doinel
Daniel Couturier
Betrand Mauricet
Serge Moati
Child
Michel Girard
Child
Jean-Claude Brialy
Man in Street
Jeanne Moreau
Woman with Dog
François Truffaut
un homme à la fête foraine