Review of Small Change (1976) by Sarah L — 06 Aug 2009

In Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows", perhaps the most famous of his films, he tells the story of a child cursed with extraordinary misfortunes due to a poor home life and unintuitive teachers. "Small Change" also deals with kids in the same age group, however it's a film much more universally relatable. While "The 400 Blows" centers in on a certain kind of individual (one which, tragically, is probably not too rare), "Small Change" is sort of an homage to adolescence as a whole. Dealing with almost a dozen characters (most of which are children, but teachers and parents also come into the mix), Truffaut beautifully weaves together vignettes of the aches of puberty.

The film doesn't formally introduce us to anyone. Gradually, as the film goes along, you begin learn who is who and what their lives entail. There is a tragic child, not unlike Antoine from "The 400 Blows", in Julien (Philippe Goldmann), a young boy from a broken home. His classmates don't quite know what to make of him, and their response to the reveal that Julien has been abused is so incredibly authentic in their obliviousness but worriment all at once.

Some of the episodes can almost play as sketch comedy. There's a scene in a movie theater where two young couples are double dating. One of the couples kisses passionately, but the other boy is too shy to make the move on "his" girl. The more outgoing of the two notices this, so he switches seats, thinking as though his friend preferred the other girl. Finally, when the shy boy fails to make a move on either one, the outgoing one sits between the two girls and alternates between kissing each one.

Depicting childhood curiosity and the innumerable amount of dangers that await an infant, Truffaut shows a toddler crawl out of the window of a ten story building after a cat. The scene is milked for all it's worth - as an audience member, you cannot help but gasp and cover your eyes. I won't spoil how the scene ends, but it's unexpected and completely unforgettable.

"Small Change" is not about the individuals, but it's rather a thorough remembrance of childhood. Truffaut's only dealing with archetypes, but he has a tremendously observant eye that finds success in focusing on the subtleties of an adolescent's behavior. Truffaut was known for his success in working with children, and I don't think that it's illustrated anymore beautifully in his body of work than in "Small Change".