''The Hedgehog'' (''Le Hérisson'') is a

French film French cinema consists of the film industry and its film productions, whether made within the nation of France or by French film production companies abroad. It is the oldest and largest precursor of national cinemas in Europe; with primary influ ...

directed by

Mona Achache Mona Achache (born 18 March 1981) is a French-Moroccan film director, actress and screenwriter. Career Following a literary and theatrical education Mona Achache becomes an assistant director followed by screenwriting for fictional and documen ...

, loosely based on the novel ''

The Elegance of the Hedgehog ''The Elegance of the Hedgehog'' (french: link=no, L'Élégance du hérisson) is a novel by the French novelist and philosophy teacher Muriel Barbery. The book follows events in the life of a concierge, Renée Michel, whose deliberately conceal ...

'' by

Muriel Barbery Muriel Barbery (born 28 May 1969) is a French novelist and philosophy teacher. Her 2006 novel '' The Elegance of the Hedgehog'' quickly sold more than a million copies in several countries. Biography Barbery was born in Rabat, Morocco, but she ...

. Made in

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, the film was released in theatres in 2009.

Plot

Paloma is an 11-year-old girl quietly and unhappily living in a luxurious Paris apartment with her family. She is intelligent and observant and, sensing disappointment and despair in adulthood, decides to end her life on her 12th birthday, which is 165 days away from when the story begins. Her father's old camera in hand, she records telling moments in the lives of the inadequate humans around her: her antidepressant-dependent mother, her moody sister, and petulant dinner guests. As Paloma prepares to finish her remaining days, Mrs. Michel, the gruff-looking, reclusive concierge, manages the building where Paloma and her family live. She hides her passion for literature from her bourgeois employers, but is found out by the new resident Mr. Ozu, widowed and Japanese, as a beautiful

bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

in elegant disguise. A fiercely tender attraction grows between the three like-minded individuals, showing Paloma a more lovely side of life than she originally thought possible and forcing her to reconsider her plan of suicide.

Cast

Josiane Balasko Josiane Balasko (born Josiane Balašković; 15 April 1950) is a French actress, writer, and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice. Career One of Balasko's most recognized roles among English speakers is ...

- Renée Michel * Garance Le Guillermic - Paloma Josse *

Togo Igawa , known professionally as , is a Japanese actor who works primarily in British films and television. In recent years, he has had roles in major films such as '' Revolver'', ''Memoirs of a Geisha'', '' The Last Samurai'', and ''A Matter of Size ...

- Monsieur Kakuro Ozu * Ariane Ascaride - Manuela Lopez *

Anne Brochet Anne Brochet (born 22 November 1966) is a French actress. Career Brochet has appeared in films such as ''Cyrano de Bergerac'', '' Le temps des porte-plumes'', ''30 ans'', '' Une journée de merde!'' and ''Tous les matins du monde''. She has also ...

- Solange Josse *

Wladimir Yordanoff Wladimir Yordanoff ( bg, Владимир Йорданов; 28 March 1954 – 6 October 2020) was a French actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditio ...

- Paul Josse *Sarah Lepicard - Colombe Josse * Valérie Karsenti - Tibère's mother

Critical reception

The film received positive reviews. Review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

reports that 88% of 67 critics gave the film a positive review, for an average rating of 7/10.

References

External links

Official site (Australia)
* Films about suicide Films based on French novels Films set in Paris French drama films 2000s French films {{2000s-France-film-stub