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Les Mistons
Summer in the south of France. In François Truffaut’s debut film, the young and beautiful Bernadette cycles over the bridges and through the scrublands of Nîmes. In the local amphitheatre, she throws herself into Bernard’s arms. But they’re never alone. Wherever they go, five mistons (local slang for brats) are hot on their heels. They see Bernadette as the embodiment of their budding, prepubescent desires. Jealousy drives them to mischief: “Too young to love Bernadette, we decided to hate and torment her.”
Truffaut sowed the seeds for his future career with this book adaptation of Maurice Pons’ Virginales. Their Calimero Complex and their behaviours that stem from it feel genuine and true to life. Truffaut beautifully channels that spontaneity through the black-and-white visuals and post-synchronised soundtrack. His tracking shots feel more like an observation of the group dynamics than an intentional mise-en-scène. Les Mistons is therefore a fine precursor to The 400 Blows, in which he returns to the same approach and style.