Mirrors
Early in the film we see Antoine sit at his mother's vanity, where there are multiple mirrors. Truffaut uses the mirrors to represent the way Antoine is still figuring out his identity, and the ways that his identity feels fragmented. Additionally, the fact that it is at a woman's vanity shows that his confusion has also to do with sexuality and Antoine's interest in and curiosity about sex. Later, his mother also looks in the mirror. The next morning, before going off to school, Antoine wipes some steam off the mirror in the bathroom and once again confronts his image.
Angel Statue
At the juvenile observation center we see two young boys talking, and just above them is a statue of a woman holding up an angel in a kind of divine embrace. The image highlights the stark contrast between the lives of the boys at the observation center, who have been separated and cast aside by their parents, and what one might see as an idealistic relationship between parent and child.
Mrs. Doinel's Hat
During a conversation with his mother at the observation center we see from Antoine's point of view that he is staring at his mother's hat while she speaks, not at her face. This unusual photographic angle puts us in the perspective of Antoine, and shows the ways that he gets lost in thought, torn away from the reality of his experience. This image allows us to experience his point of view, to feel his inability to focus on his mother's caustic attitude, his desire for escape.
The Final Image
After Antoine escapes from the observation center, he runs to the beach. He has never been to the beach before, and the camera follows him as he walks down a flight of steps, then a long ways down the beach to the edge of the water. As he steps in the water for a moment, he feels his newfound freedom for the first time. Then, abruptly, he turns to the camera, seeing the gaze of the viewer and the filmmaker for the first time. As he looks at the camera, he wears a curious expression, as though he has been caught or apprehended unawares. This image, Antoine's bewildered expression in a private moment, suggests that he doesn't know what's coming next, and that he is unsure of what to do in his newfound freedom. The image ends the film on an ambiguous note, and suggests that there is more to come.
