The film concludes with one of the most famous, iconic scenes in cinema history: Antoine running away from a juvenile detention center to the sea, a place he has always wanted to see. He runs until he reaches the water, turns back toward the camera, and in a final, stunning moment, the image freezes on his confused, vulnerable face.
The film revolves around Antoine Doinel, a 12-year-old Parisian boy labeled a troublemaker by his parents and teachers. In a series of escalating incidents, Antoine is caught with a pin-up calendar in class, writes an angry poem about his teacher on the wall, and runs away from school to avoid punishment for not doing his homework. Things worsen when he sees his mother kissing another man, leading him to lie about her death to explain his absence. Feeling rejected, Antoine's petty delinquencies culminate in him stealing a typewriter from his stepfather's office, an act that lands him in a juvenile detention center. the 400 blows