The 400 Blows, 1959
(Les quatre cents coups)
dir. Francois Truffaut
Starring: Jean-Pierre Leaud, Albert Remy, Claire Maurier
3.7/5
I can’t even begin to count the number of times I wanted to run away from home when I was little. I distinctly remember in 4th grade, my three closest friends and I made plans to run away before we got to middle school. We would go to the city area club and practice swimming, hunting, singing…in essence, become hippie Neanderthals in a small town full of gas stations and pizza parlors. Looking back, I was obviously naïve and foolish, but hey, I was independent.
Watching The 400 Blows as an adult, I’m beginning to see all of the silly things that I would have been involved with had I ever ran away. Antoine, a boy approximately in 4th-5th grade, runs away from home various times for multiple reasons: bad grades, lies, stealing, etc. At first life goes smoothly, but as he begins committing petty crimes to get by, his plans of making it on his own spiral downward.
I loved this film for helping me not only connect with Antoine, but also my childhood self. Despite the film’s age, it really opened my eyes as to what would have happened if my friends and I followed through. If anything, it would have been harder. 40 years later, it would’ve been harder to steal, or live off of $10, or bum at friends’ houses without question. Even as a junior in college, it hits home. I’m on my own, and I struggle with starting over, finding a place to call home, earning my keep.
Favorite thing: Antoine is made a connectable character, and the adults are portrayed the same way we would have seen them when we were children getting into trouble.
Worst thing: The ending really leaves you hanging.
Should you watch it? I’d say yes, especially if you’re moving out (or running away?) soon.
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