LES MISTONS (THE BRATS) / Francois Truffaut (1957)
July 15th, 2007 by Scott Marks

Les Mistons
(1957)
Directed by: François Truffaut
Written by: Maurice Pons
Genres: Coming of Age, Comedy, Short
Cast: Gérard Blain, Bernadette Lafont, Michel François
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Running Time: 17 min.
Truffaut’s first film follows a group of five mistons (mischief makers) that have such a crush on Bernadette Lafont that they do whatever it takes to make her romantic life as miserable as possible. As touchingly observant as it is rich in perversity: one of the brats stops to adoringly smell Ms. Lafont’s bicycle seat in close-up and slow motion. A charming film that perfectly captures an adolescent’s take on love. As with any Truffaut film, there are also plenty of movie references including a whimsical, undercranked tribute to Auguste and Louis Lumiere.
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