Francois Truffaut followed up "Stolen Kisses" (1968) with "Bed & Board" in 1970, continuing his series of films featuring the character, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud). While not as satisfying as his previous work in the series, Truffaut gives us an entertaining glimpse into the married life of his iconic character.
In this film, Antoine is now married to his girlfriend from the previous film, Christine (Claude Jade). He is working for a flower shop dying flowers various colours. Soon, Christine is pregnant and gives birth to their first son. Antoine loses his job at the flower shop and finds work with a hydraulics company maneuvering toy boats on a miniature model waterway. On the job, he meets a Japanese woman who he starts an affair with. Eventually, Christine finds out about the affair and the two separate. Soon, the husband and wife discover that they do in fact love each other and we are left with the assumption that they probably will reconcile.
There is not as much depth and character development in this film compared to Truffaut previous work. It is a quirky, eccentric film with odd characters coming and going. There are humorous moments and surprises but this film doesn't compare to the other films in the series. The performances are good and the screenplay is witty and charming. There just isn't enough to warrant a higher rating. Fans of Truffaut will like it though.
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