Francois Truffaut was known for his shyness; he was crippled by it. Journalists have expressed that in commentaries on interviews they have had with him. The main character of the film can be described the same way. Charlie or Edouared both are shy and sometimes say the wrong thing, like maybe Truffuat; but whats really autobiographical about the film are the characters occupation. A piano player. Truffaut may have played piano, but not professionally, but still he is an artist and so in a way the film can be described as an essay on art. I kinda feel like Charlie writing this. A man who is troubled and has many faults, but can forget about that once he gets behind a piano; or express something artistically. But sometimes the characters get bottled up inside a piano because there faults and troubles become worsened and their personal life falters completely. Truffaut try's to make this obvious when the first shot is the innards of a piano this is Charlie bottled up and the only way he can express himself is through a carnival piano. And Charlie is rescued from there by Thérèse Saroyan. Thérèse takes him on adventures where he can't play the piano when ecstasy approaches. It's no coincidence that in Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets the main character Charlie is caught up in alcohol and the characters around him that he is supposed to be like and then is saved by a girl named Thérèse. Although it was a very famous story even before the film was released.
So I'm not going to go into detail with the story, except say most of the film is an homage to American cinema and is very French new wave. I will say this, the closing shot is again a close-up shot of a piano but it fades out to another close-up of Charlies face this shows him breaking away from the piano. Thérèse has saved him. The soundtrack is probably one of my favorites; it is low-key a piano, but very angelic much like Charlie, much like Truffaut.
So I'm not going to go into detail with the story, except say most of the film is an homage to American cinema and is very French new wave. I will say this, the closing shot is again a close-up shot of a piano but it fades out to another close-up of Charlies face this shows him breaking away from the piano. Thérèse has saved him. The soundtrack is probably one of my favorites; it is low-key a piano, but very angelic much like Charlie, much like Truffaut.