Review of Small Change (1976) by Daniel P — 02 Jul 2012

Beautifully incohesive coming-of-age film, set in a small French town, that builds its very own world and populates it with characters from different walks of life and their fascinating interactions. Given that growing up is in and of itself its own narrative, the story has a direction from the get-go, and within its timeframe - the last weeks of the school year leading up to the kids' first co-ed summer camp - Truffaut seems to just let the camera run, encompassing the entire experience of growing up in this town in a series of scenes filled with excellent child acting. The title is perfect, in a way, as many of the children are somewhat of an afterthought, seemingly unimportant in their insignificant lives, kind of like the small coins that accumulate in your pocket over time. But as the saying goes, it all spends the same, and what's more, individually, each of these coins moves from unconsidered to precious by film's end.

The downside of the growing-up narrative, I suppose, is that it doesn't really end: you grow up, which closes this window, but this kind of story can be somewhat anti-climactic, and can leave the storyteller searching for a way out that's not intrusive or cliche). Truffaut gives in a little by choosing a speech from a caring teacher, but cheap exit or not, it's well-written and well-delivered and stops short of plainly laying out the filmmaker's point.

Together, these pennies saved are truly pennies earned, and you will be much richer for the whole of this experience than the sum of the film's parts might suggest. A delightful little film from a masterful director - and, interestingly, as I recently read in an interview with Wes Anderson, a big inspiration for Moonrise Kingdom. Definitely a good time to dust it off again.