#11, The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows is a film that my mother, actually, had been trying to get me to see for a while, so I finally relented and got around to renting it for this project. Unfortunately, I liked it, which is a shame, since I'm starting to get sick of giving films such high ratings. I really want to slap another 4 onto something. Looking at what I've watched, though, it seems like it may be a while before I can do that.

Anyway, The 400 Blows is a semi-autobiographical film by Francois Truffaut chronicling the life of a young school boy, and the tribulations he endures. One of the best character studies I've ever seen, it's very difficult to decide where to start describing it. The narrative, while for the most part conventional, is nonetheless almost depicted in a series of vignettes, adding a level of depth and realism that supplemented the rest of the film.

The acting is also great. It seems to me that whenever a director casts a child in a lead role, they go out of their way to make sure the kid is superb, as the actor who plays Antoine Doinel certainly is. He endures the abuse, mistreatment, and misfortunes that befall him with a sympathetic and slightly disturbing air of acceptance, which is especially clear during the wonderful (from an aesthetic sense) interrogation of him towards the end of the film. He has no true allies, and his one true friend constantly leads him into disasters. The sense of loneliness for Doinel is achingly clear, and when his friend, Rene, bicycles away from the facility Doinel is being held in towards the end of the film, there is an almost painful sense of finality to it. On top of a very emotional ending, in this way the film does a sublime job of offering empathy, yet withholding judgmentt.

This sense of loneliness and isolation remains pervasive throughout the film additionally through the tight-angled shots, closed spaces, and excruciating sequences of dramatic irony that Truffaut employs. Every moment is almost as painful to watch as it must be for Doinel to endure, and even his moments of happiness are clouded by the promise of disaster. Wonderfully emotional, and wonderfully executed.

Highlights: A very poignantly atmospheric piece, designed to inspire both emotions and the intellect. Even the quiet moments roar with subtext. A very sympathetic character. A very objective narrative perspective.

Downers: Some of the secondary characters, especially the father, were lacking in definition.

9.5/10