The IFC center in NYC is showing all the Antoine Doinel movies, starring Jean-Pierre Leaud. This 30-minute segment of Love at Twenty was shown before Stolen Kisses. It was much more accessible and enjoyable than either The 400 Blows or Stolen Kisses. It had a wonderful arc encompassing Antoine's desire, pursuit and disappointment. The story was straightforward and funny, and Leaud was at his handsomest--he was actually only 18 years old at the time of this film, and loaded with youthful exuberance. The movie also serves as a reminder of a bygone craft: Antoine works at place where LPs are manufactured, and Truffaut films the entire, non-mechanized process of producing a long-playing album. The movie is interspersed with beautiful classical music, as both lead characters frequently attend concerts, as well as lectures about music. The attraction of the leads to each other, the overt and enthusiastic approval of the girl's parents, and common interests, all should lead to them coming together. And maybe it will, sometime after the movie ends.
Review of Love at Twenty
