I've watched many of Truffaut's films and have found most of them to be really quite wonderful. This film has solidified his status in my book as the best of the French New Wave. I've waited to actually say that in print until I'd seen a good number of the offerings from the movement. Godard is too gimmicky, Chabrol too one track(though still well loved),Rohmer too static(but charming),Demy doesn't have the filmography and neither does Resnais or Varda(Demy's wife). Truffaut's films have a sensitivity, an intimacy and a simple quality that speak volumes to me.

Small Change(Pocket Money)has all of those qualities and more. I laughed and I cried but I never once felt that this great director had manipulated me. Sometimes films with children have a tendency to make me feel used. My heart strings pulled in every direction and twisted into every shape. Truffaut had no intention of mauling the senses instead he lets the childrens lives unfold naturally with the joys and sadnesses of all children. It was my very own memory of childhood for there is some child in this film who represents all of us.

While Francois Truffaut made many wonderful films, he was always at his best when dealing with children. In "Small Change" he handles many of the same themes as he did in his classic "The 400 Blows." But this time he is capturing the joy of childhood, not the pain. One could say, in fact, that this is "The 400 Blows" with sugar frosting on top. It is a pure delight from beginning to end.

Scenes to watch for: 1) Little Gregory's adventure at the window (a scene that would make Alfred Hitchcock proud),2) The double date at the movies, and 3) The teacher watching the birth of his first child.

Francois, why did you have to leave us so soon?

This is one of the more free-form movies I have ever seen, as the movie is less a traditional movie and more a long series of often non-connected as well as inter-connected episodes from the lives of young children in a French town. It looks an awful lot like a documentary without narration and is highly reminiscent of the Italian Neo-Realistic films (that starred non-actors in ordinary situations). So, if you are the type person that MUST have a traditional plot or actors who seem like actors, then this is NOT the film for you. Instead, the many children act out so many normal parts of childhood that are never really discussed in other films--ranging from the mundane, to the funny to the very poignant. I didn't mind this episodic aspect of the film and the movie's focus on the kids, their teachers and the school reminded me of other wonderful French films, such as IT ALL STARTS HERE.

Some of the moments are pretty cute. I particularly liked the stubborn little girl who was left home by her parents after they refused to see her logical "need" to bring her filthy elephant purse with her to the restaurant. She sure got back at them!!! Her father was the local police chief and she used his bullhorn to announce that she was hungry and all the neighbors mobilized to feed the kid--and thereby punish her well-respected dad for leaving her at home! The most poignant part of the film involves a lost soul who is placed in the school by the welfare authorities towards the end of the school year. Although this boy looks disheveled--wearing the same dirty clothes day after day--no one seems to notice. That is until late in the film when it is discovered, accidentally, that he's been horribly abused and neglected. This leads to a somewhat preachy conclusion where the school teacher accurately assesses the way many adults and politicians ignore kids' plights. This is PURE Truffaut, as he himself was a "lost soul" from a broken home and was a product of the welfare and court system. This is a VERY frequent theme in his films--particularly his Antoine Doinel films (starting with the semi-autobiographical THE 400 BLOWS).

A very unusual and interesting film that might not appeal to everyone. But, nonetheless, a very satisfying film.

One word of note: There is a very brief topless scene in the film. While it is appropriate to the context, parents may choose to either not let their kids see the film or just skip past this scene in the playground.