> The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson)
4 stars (out of 5)
Director: Mona Achache
Cast: Josiane Balasko, Garance Le Guillermic, Togo Igawa, Anne Brochet, Solange Josse, Ariane Ascaride, Wladimir Yordanoff
Rating: (M)
Ten minutes into this delightfully low-key French drama you will question the wisdom of spending the next 90 minutes in the dark, yet 15 minutes later you will be hooked.
Based on Muriel Barbery's bestseller The Elegance of the Hedgehog, Le Hérisson profiles the social interaction of wealthy Parisians living in a luxury apartment complex.
Seen through the eyes of inquisitive 11-year-old Paloma (Garance Le Guillermic), The Hedgehog is a wry rumination on class distinction, age, beauty, relationships and psychoanalysis.
Paloma, constantly filming with her small movie camera, reveals via voiceover that she intends to commit suicide on her 12th birthday. However, her scathing assessment of those around her and a wisdom that belies her years make her one of the most endearing child characters on screen.
Paloma strikes up an unlikely friendship with the "hedgehog" of this story, Renée Michel (Josiane Balasko), a dowdy, socially inept concierge.
When Renée's intellectual other is outed through unlikely affection from Kakuro Ozu, a wealthy Japanese tenant, the film superbly draws you into the dilemma of her awkward existence.
The rounded humanity of the characters and the lovely awkwardness the film captures are universal.
Best thing: Josiane Balasko's performance, a brilliant portrayal of one of life's invisible people.
Worst thing: Realising that as it is French and based on a book, the film is unlikely to end the way you would like.
See it with: A quality block of dark chocolate - the reference will become clear.
- Mark Orton
