13-year-old Antoine can't seem to do anything right. His dysfunctional parents yell at him, his spiteful schoolteacher picks on him and luck just never goes his way. Despite his efforts at patience, one day it all becomes too much and Antoine throws in the towel, choosing to take his chances on the Paris streets. At times joyous and at others bitterly hard, his new life brings a newfound freedom - one that Antoine will follow up to its painful, poignant and beautiful conclusion.
Francois Truffaut's first feature film and arguably the starting point of the Nouvelle Vague, 'The 400 Blows' is a true landmark in French cinema. Raw, honest and intensely emotional, it captures youth in startlingly vivid detail and holds a mesmerising, unflinching mirror up to life itself.
★★★★★ "As wonderful today as when it was first released in 1959" - Sukhdev Sandhu, The Telegraph
★★★★★ - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
PG
99 minutes
1959
Classic, Drama
France
English, French
English
Curzon Artificial Eye