Les Quatre Cents Coups (400 Darbe) - Antoine, a nine-year-old boy, fails to complete a punishment assignment and becomes afraid of going to school the next day. He decides to skip school with his friend René and they roam the streets. In the afternoon, Antoine sees his mother with another man and his world turns upside down. When he returns to school, he lies about his mother's death due to the emotional turmoil he is in. When Antoine's parents come to the school, the truth is revealed. Fearing punishment, our young protagonist is now afraid of going home in the evening. Although he spends the night on the streets, he is caught the next day and his home life resumes. Due to his lie about his mother's death, Antoine's teacher, who still holds a grudge against him, gives him and René an 8-day suspension from school. Unable to explain the situation to their families, the two friends decide to run away from home. Their goal is to reach the sea, but they have no money. As a result, Antoine plans to steal a typewriter from his father's office one night. However, things don't go as planned and their troubles continue. François Truffaut, one of the bold members of the Cahiers du Cinéma who aimed to bring a new breath to French cinema, presents 400 Darbe as a film that is not only innovative in form but also striking in content. It receives critical acclaim worldwide and wins the Best Director award at Cannes in 1959, as well as being recognized as the Best Foreign Film by the New York Film Critics. Of course, this is nothing compared to the honor of representing French cinema for decades to come. For curious readers, it should be noted that '400 darbe' is a French idiom that means 'skipping school' rather than the literal translation of 'the 400 blows'.