As France is nearing the end of the first Indochina War, an open-minded teenage boy finds himself torn between a rebellious urge to discover love, and the ever-present, almost dominating affection of his beloved mother.

Counting Wes Anderson and Noah Baumbach among its fans, and drawing enviable comparisons to Truffaut’s The 400 Blows, Louis Malle’s semi-comic, semi-autobiographical coming-of-age classic tackles taboo subject matter—incest—honestly, intelligently, and with a humorous, witty approach.