By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Mona Achache
Starring: Anne Brochet | Garance Le Guillermic | Josiane Balasko | Togo Igawa
Country: france, italy
Year: 2011
Running time: 100
IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1442519/
Michael says: “Somehow I missed hearing about this film until it showed up last week at the Kendall Square Cinema, even though it played at the Boston French Film Festival. Not that I was surprised. THE HEDGEHOG is based on the international hit novel The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery. Having enjoyed the novel immensely, I was curious to see what they would do with the film. It wasn’t really a book I would have thought right for a film adaptation, but director Mona Achache pulls it off quite ably, and does so as her first feature-length effort!
“THE HEDGEHOG centers on two characters: Paloma, an eleven-year-old girl whose family is incredibly wealthy, and Renée Michel, the surly superintendent of the luxury apartment building Paloma lives in. Paloma is very smart, and very philosophical, and has decided that rather than end up being what society has pre-determined for her, some vapid socialite addicted to champagne and therapy like her mother, she will kill herself on her twelfth birthday, which, when the movie starts, is about five months away. As her legacy, Paloma is making a movie with a super 8 camcorder given to her by her father. While her family is her most frequent subject, she does take to filming Mme. Michel, when she begins to suspect that her super is not quite what she seems. Of course, Paloma is correct. Mme. Michel avoids notice by presenting herself exactly as her wealthy tenants expect her to be, none suspecting that she is so much more.
“The film focuses mainly on the latter half of the novel, when a new tenant, the elegant and perceptive Kakuro Ozu, moves in and takes an interest in both Paloma and Mme. Michel. This make sense as the book’s opening half is filled mainly with Paloma’s fascinating and insightful observations, alternating with our introduction and exploration of Mme. Michel’s inner life. Achache wisely puts the focus on Paloma, and allows the audience to slowly learn about Mme. Michel’s depths slowly, as do the more perceptive characters around her do.
“Some of THE HEDGEHOG’s success is most certainly due to Josiane Balasko’s magnificent and subtle handling of Renée. While working regularly in her native France, she is probably most recognized in the States in films such as THE LIBERTINE, FRENCH TWIST or TOO BEAUTIFUL FOR YOU. Her subtle, layered performance here puts her on my potential Best Actress nomination list. Garance Le Guillermic has the difficult job of making Paloma seem believable, precocious and not too off-putting, and she does a great job. It helps that she is at that gawky, pre-adolescent stage, and that the script has many touches of sly humor to keep it from taking itself too seriously. Also of note is Togo Igawa’s Kokuro, who brings a self-confident warmth with just a touch of enigma, to bring his character alive.
“In the end, THE HEDGEHOG is a lovely little story, with a nice message and some great performances. 4 cats”