Aaron Wolff
Mrs. Kolb
Intro to Film
23 March 2026
Truffaut’s 400 Blows doesn’t seem to be a complete story but is made up of short,
fragmented scenes which, together they create a picture of Antoine Doinel’s life. Instead of using
major turning points the film uses everyday events like being at home, school, or loitering in the
streets to show the isolation that Antoine feels. Antoine is always portrayed, in tight close ups
from the camera moving closely behind him, to be roaming the streets of Paris. From this the
film shows the feeling of escape as something which Antoine constantly looks for ways to escape
like trying to run away from home.
At school Antoine is seen as less of person, and more of a problem to those around him
especially his teacher. The system is harsh and there seems to be punishment for every mistake.
His attempt at a paper on Balzac and the accusation of plagiarism seems to be evidence of the
way that school is a place were individuality and creativity arn’t nourished but crushed and how
he is misunderstood. Annette Insdorf criticizes the film’s restriction to certain aspects of his life.
The focus is on his school life and his family life, however this works because Antoine’s
problems become realistic to the audience. We do not perceive him to be inherently naughty but
that his behavior is directly influenced by his surroundings.
At home there is little rest for the boy. His parents seem to act unpredicably and are
concerned more with the presence of Antoine than with his feelings or worries. This isn’t a
family which erupts into shouting, but one which suffers from apathy and neglect. Roger Ebertsuggests that by not making Antoine repulsive the film entices us to see his world through his
own eyes (Ebert). Making it more difficult pass judgement on Antoine’s actions.
Arguably the film’s strongest moment is at the end. After running away from the
detention center Antoine finally manages to find himself on the sea which he has always wanted
to see it. However the camera stops at his face when he reaches what would appear to be a
moment of freedom. Richard Raskin states that this abrupt ending with nothing resolved serves
the purpose of not offering a solution to Antoine’s problem but of forcing the viewer to decide for
themselves on the outcome of the film (Raskin). Antoine has quite literally escaped, but the exact
meaning of this is subjective.
In conclusion 400 Blows is a brilliant film as it offers no easy answers it shows us, very
effectively, a child struggling with the world, his family and the school system without explicitly
telling us his problems. By choosing the unresolved end, the film has some realism and we are
left with a snapshot of a life rather than a structured story.