Culture

Directed by Mona Achache
(4/5)

The Hedgehog is an endearing film about the unlikely friendship which develops between three neighbours living in a luxury apartment building in Paris: Paloma, an 11-year-old girl; Renée, the concierge; and Mr. Ozu, an intriguing, friendly Japanese businessman. An exceptionally perceptive and intelligent child, Paloma is disillusioned by the vacuous and seemingly meaningless lives the rest of her extremely wealthy family lead. Horrified by the idea that she is destined to lead a similar existence, she has made the decision to commit suicide on her twelfth birthday. 
Renée is frumpy, lumpy, and grumpy, making her best effort to conform to the classical role of a concierge. Although she has a large library in her back room and adores film and art, she keeps her TV on all day in order to fool everyone and hide her penchant for intellectual pursuits. No one would ever guess that her cat Leo is named after the great Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. No one except for Mr. Ozu, that is. A new tenant in the building, he instantly sees through Renée’s façade, and with the help of Paloma, gradually brings out the warmth hidden beneath her prickly exterior (cue hedgehog metaphor..!). 
Paloma’s witty, Catcher-in-the-Rye-esque perspective and the well-executed character development in this film makes for a very enjoyable 100 minutes.