The Wild Child

Francois Truffaut
1970

This is decidedly one of Truffaut's minor efforts, being lifted from a true report of a "feral child" found in the forests of Aveyron, and his attempted rehabilitation by a forward thinking doctor. The no frills black and white cinematography aids in period authenticity and it's nice to see Truffaut in front of the camera ( as Dr. Jean Itard), as he's always had good screen presence. Non-actor Jean-Pierre Cargol puts in an adequate performance as the wild child, but unconvincing moments of "play acting" inevitably pop up in a demanding role beyond the inexperienced actor's capacity. This film is another in a series of love letters Truffaut made about children and youth, particularly the rockier elements of growing up, and it's cleverly dedicated to Jean-Pierre Leaud, who played Truffaut's young alter ego Antoine Doinel in "The 400 Blows" (1959) and it's sequels. While there is narrative progress in the child's slow but steady education, the historical limits of Victor's ability to learn creates a dramatic bulkhead the film crashes, and eventually flounders against. Today it is believed that Victor was autistic, and for all of Dr. Itard's tireless work "milk" is the only word he was able to coax from the youngster.