Watch The Hedgehog

The Hedgehog is a French drama film from 2009, directed by Mona Achache and based on the best-selling novel "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery. The story is set in an apartment building in Paris and centers around the lives of three very different characters who are brought together by chance. The main character is 11-year-old Paloma Josse (Garance Le Guillermic), a highly intelligent and precocious girl who lives in the building with her affluent family. Paloma is frustrated with the superficiality and hypocrisy of the world around her and decides to end her life on her twelfth birthday by setting fire to the building. She secretly records her thoughts and observations in a journal and plans to leave this as her final testament.

The other two main characters are the building's concierge, Renée Michel (Josiane Balasko), and a new resident, Japanese businessman Kakuro Ozu (Togo Igawa). Renée is a middle-aged, dowdy-looking woman who is considered by the wealthy residents to be a typical uneducated, unrefined concierge. However, Renée is actually an avid reader and lover of philosophy and art. She keeps her true self hidden from the residents out of fear of being rejected or ridiculed.

Kakuro Ozu, on the other hand, immediately sees through Renée's façade and recognizes her educated and refined nature. He befriends Renée and they bond over their shared love of literature and culture. Paloma also becomes fascinated with Renée's hidden intellect and begins to secretly observe her.

The three characters' lives intersect in unexpected ways as they each navigate their own personal struggles. Renée must confront her fear of being exposed as a fraud, Paloma must reconcile her disillusionment with the world, and Kakuro Ozu grapples with his own emotional traumas.

The Hedgehog explores themes of classism, intellect, and the inherent loneliness of the human experience. The film is aided by standout performances from its lead actors, particularly Josiane Balasko as Renée Michel, who brings depth and nuance to the character's complex inner struggles.

The cinematography is also noteworthy, with its depiction of Parisian life up close and personal. The film showcases an intimate and realistic depiction of the city's residents and the spaces they inhabit.

Overall, The Hedgehog is a powerful and thought-provoking film that challenges its viewers to confront their own preconceptions and biases. It tells a poignant and relatable story about the search for connection and the human need for self-expression and understanding.