Kammala wannan magana: Bayan ganin Orson Welles "Touch of Evil" a
A Expo 58, Truffaut ya fara fitowa a matsayin darektan fim mai suna "The 400 Blows" (1959), wanda ya sami yabo mai yawa da kuma kasuwanci. Ya lashe kyautar Kyauta mafi kyau a 1959 Cannes Film Festival. Fim ɗin ya bi halin Antoine Doinel ta hanyar haɗarin haɗarinsa a makaranta, rayuwar gida mara farin ciki da kuma makarantar gyarawa daga baya. Fim ɗin yana da tarihin kansa sosai. Dukansu Truffaut da Doinel 'ya'ya ne kawai na auren da ba su da ƙauna; dukansu sun aikata laifuka na sata da kuma kullun daga soja. Truffaut ya zaɓi Jean-Pierre Léaud a matsayin Doinel. Léaud an gan shi a matsayin yaro na yau da kullun na 14 wanda ya yi gwaji don rawar bayan ya ga wata takarda, amma tambayoyin bayan fitowar fim ɗin (ɗaya an haɗa shi a kan DVD ɗin Criterion na fim ɗin) ya bayyana ƙwarewar Léaud ta halitta da kuma fahimtar dabi'a game da aiki don kyamara. Léaud da Truffaut sun yi aiki tare a fina-finai da yawa a tsawon shekaru. Haɗin kansu mafi mahimmanci shine ci gaba da labarin Doinel a cikin jerin fina-finai da ake kira "The Antoine Doinel Cycle".