Classic films back on the big screen in 35mm. Truffaut's superb feature debut remains an influential landmark in the history of the cinema. Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Laud), a 13-year-old is constantly in trouble - justifiably or otherwise - with his parents and teachers. Drifting into truancy and petty theft, he soon finds himself at odds with still less sympathetic figures of adult authority. Shot on the streets of Paris, the film exudes an emotional authenticity born of the semi-autobiographical story, and displays real compassion as it charts a seemingly unstoppable progress towards delinquency. Great credit goes to Léaud, whose engaging but entirely uningratiating performance is a miracle of naturalism. Truffaut managed to gather many talents, on both sides of the camera, who would prove crucial to the development of the nouvelle vague. Marvellous stuff.
