Francois Truffaut's Cannes winning film, The 400 Blows, chronicles a few months in the life of Antoine Doniel. Antoine's a fourteen year old who's failing in school, a headache for his self-absorbed mother, a fivolity/nuisance for his bumbling step-father, and, in general, a kid with nothing going right.
Truffaut's work set a standard for this type of story in French film, the juvenile delinquent who's life story is spared the melodramatic flourishes seen in comparable Hollywood fare like Rebel Without a Cause. There's no stirring climaxes, no riproaring life-and-death struggles with antagonists or parents. But the gut-wrenching narrative of Doniel's abandonment to his own devices and their consequences grips the viewer with a complex brew of emotions. Truffaut handles his young actors and their stories with frankness, humor, and sadness. A particular sequence, with struggling Doniel attempting to channel Balzac's favor as he preps for an upcoming essay test, finds the young man praying to a poster of the dead writer like a Catholic saint, even lighting a small candle in his honor. Of course, its a French New Wave film so its bound to end badly, and the candle catches the card on fire.
Like every other French film I've seen, I was surprised to learn this was filmed much earlier than I thought, in this case, the 50s. The print on the Criterion DVD showcases its impressive cinematography, and the acting, the "mis en scene" (as Truffaut is credited) is fresh and utterly lacking the stylish affectations of its American contemporaries. Lots of standout stuff in this one--the gym teacher sequence, the psychologist's interview, the police station scene. Also, I suspect it highlights Truffaut's love of cinema--the one true moment of domestic, familial happiness comes as the beleagured Doniel's take in a film together.
Link to a thread on Truffaut and children.