The Hedgehog, directed by Mona Achache, is set in an up-market apartment building in Paris where the residents go about their daily routines with little regard for what goes on in the ‘real’ world. There lives Paloma Josse (Garance Le Guillermic), an 11 year-old who is convinced that people have no idea about life. She decides to video record her family and some of the residents in the building, whom she thinks are completely weird and indicative of all adults. Time is running out for Paloma because she has decided to commit suicide on her 12th birthday.
Downstairs on the ground floor lives the concierge, Renee Michel (Josiane Balasko), a frumpy, grumpy 54 year-old, who appears to have no connections in ‘real’ life. Paloma befriends her, recognizing a kindred spirit, as does another resident in the building, Kakuro Ozu (Togo Igawa), who is a very refined 70 year-old Japanese widower. Paloma and Kakuro discover that Renee has a rich inner life and are able to penetrate her spiky exterior, which is likened to a hedgehog, unveiling the soft interior which everyone else has failed to see. The three characters represent different paths and different generations and bond through their sense of aesthetics.
Kakuro asks Renee to dinner to help him celebrate his birthday. However, it is a bit of a challenge for a woman who is used to travelling solo and who has taken little care of her appearance, except for a recent haircut, which instantly transformed her. She initially turns down the invitation. Is it because she feels she has nothing suitable to wear? In one of the most engaging moments in the film, the problem is resolved when Renee receives a parcel from Kakuro.
Achache and Barbary’s script is full of insightful moments dealing with the human condition. Combining characters who would not normally find common ground has created a warm-hearted tale about coming to grips with identity and invisibility. Often it is these characters who have so much knowledge to offer and impart to others. However, it also depicts how these opportunities are often lost as they simply do not, for whatever reason, get to meet or engage with others. This is a film that should not be missed. The performances are excellent and the script is a beautifully balanced mixture of comedy and tragedy which does not disappoint.
// SALT
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