The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups); 1959

François Truffaut's film is the story of Antoine Doinel, a teenager whose antics result in constant conflict and collision with teachers and parental figures alike and culminate in a final escape that liberates him from these oppressive figures. In addition to being a character study, the film seeks to expose the unjust treatment of juvenile offenders in France at the time. The art house favorite is one of the defining films of the French New Wave movement.