Jean Vigo, who died at age 29, was called the cinema's Rimbaud, not only for his youth which enabled him to create a vivid, uncompromising and personal mode of expression, but also for his passionate sincerity, rich imagery, and directness of language. Zero for Conduct, based on personal childhood experiences, is cruel, exuberant, and filled with unexpected gags and observations. Set in a boarding school, the loose but emotionally charged story creates a model of rebellion, portraying notonly the petty, dictatorial regime of a school, but the dynamics and delirium of revolt as well. It is poetry, wild in hatred and tender in remembrance.