The Hedgehog

Having read Muriel Barbery's book, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, I was rather curious about "The Hedgehog" ("Le Hérisson"), the film adaptation by director Mona Achache. It focuses on Paloma Josse (Garance Le Guillermic), an overly precocious 11-year-old girl who decides to end her life on her twelfth birthday. As she plots her impending suicide she befriends Renée Michel (Josiane Balasko), the prickly and grumpy concierge of Paloma's luxury Parisian apartment building, and Kakuro Ozu (Togo Igawa), the mysterious and wealthy Japanese tenant.
Josiane Balasko and Garance Le Guillermic in "The Hedgehog." Courtesy of Neoclassics Films Ltd. 2011.



