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IMDbPro

The Hedgehog

Original title: Le hérisson
  • 2009
  • Unrated
  • 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
9.5K
YOUR RATING
Josiane Balasko and Garance Le Guillermic in The Hedgehog (2009)
A look at the curious relationship between 11-year old Paloma, her building's janitor, and an elegant new tenant.
Play trailer1:44
7 Videos
18 Photos
Drama

The life of a determined young girl is changed when she befriends her building's concierge, a solitary woman who is more than what she seems.The life of a determined young girl is changed when she befriends her building's concierge, a solitary woman who is more than what she seems.The life of a determined young girl is changed when she befriends her building's concierge, a solitary woman who is more than what she seems.

  • Director
    • Mona Achache
  • Writers
    • Mona Achache
    • Muriel Barbery
  • Stars
    • Josiane Balasko
    • Garance Le Guillermic
    • Togo Igawa
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.3/10
    9.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Mona Achache
    • Writers
      • Mona Achache
      • Muriel Barbery
    • Stars
      • Josiane Balasko
      • Garance Le Guillermic
      • Togo Igawa
    • 37User reviews
    • 88Critic reviews
    • 64Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 10 wins & 6 nominations

    Videos7

    The Hedgehog
    Trailer 1:44
    Watch The Hedgehog
    The Hedgehog: Paloma Likes To Hide
    Clip 0:51
    Watch The Hedgehog: Paloma Likes To Hide
    The Hedgehog: The Hedgehog
    Clip 0:51
    Watch The Hedgehog: The Hedgehog
    The Hedgehog: Mrs. Rene Michel
    Clip 1:25
    Watch The Hedgehog: Mrs. Rene Michel
    The Hedgehog: Kitty And Levin
    Clip 0:41
    Watch The Hedgehog: Kitty And Levin
    The Hedgehog: A Japanese Thing
    Clip 1:00
    Watch The Hedgehog: A Japanese Thing
    The Hedgehog: Mr. Ozu
    Clip 1:32
    Watch The Hedgehog: Mr. Ozu

    Photos18

    Mona Achache and Garance Le Guillermic in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Mona Achache in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Josiane Balasko and Ariane Ascaride in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Garance Le Guillermic in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Josiane Balasko in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Josiane Balasko and Togo Igawa in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Josiane Balasko and Garance Le Guillermic in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Garance Le Guillermic in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Togo Igawa in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Josiane Balasko and Garance Le Guillermic in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Josiane Balasko in The Hedgehog (2009)
    Josiane Balasko and Togo Igawa in The Hedgehog (2009)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Josiane Balasko
    Josiane Balasko
    • Renée Michel
    Garance Le Guillermic
    Garance Le Guillermic
    • Paloma Josse
    Togo Igawa
    Togo Igawa
    • Kakuro Ozu
    Anne Brochet
    Anne Brochet
    • Solange Josse
    Ariane Ascaride
    Ariane Ascaride
    • Manuela Lopez
    Wladimir Yordanoff
    Wladimir Yordanoff
    • Paul Josse
    Sarah Le Picard
    Sarah Le Picard
    • Colombe Josse
    Jean-Luc Porraz
    • Jean-Pierre, le clochard
    Mona Heftre
    • Madame Meurisse
    Gisèle Casadesus
    Gisèle Casadesus
    • Madame de Broglie
    Samuel Achache
    • Tibère
    Valérie Karsenti
    • La mère de Tibère
    Stéphan Wojtowicz
    Stéphan Wojtowicz
    • Le père de Tibère
    Isabelle Sobelmann
    • Anna Arthens
    Jeanne Candel
    • La coiffeuse
    Chantal Banlier
    • Maria Malavoin
    Miyako Ribola
    • Yoko
    Nao Inazawa
    • Cuisinier Japonais
    • Director
      • Mona Achache
    • Writers
      • Mona Achache(screenplay)
      • Muriel Barbery(novel "L'élégance du hérisson")
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Togo Igawa (Kakuro Ozu) learned his French lines in the movie phonetically. He does not speak French in real life.
    • Goofs
      When Paloma feeds the anti-depressant pill to the fish, the fish dies instantly. The fish would not die this fast.
    • Quotes

      Paloma Josse: Planning to die doesn't mean I let myself go like a rotten vegetable. What matters isn't the fact of dying or when you die. It's what you're doing at that precise moment.

    • Connections
      Featured in On demande à voir: Episode dated 24 June 2009 (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Requiem en Ré mineur: Confutatis maledictis
      Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (as W.A. Mozart)

      Performed by the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra (as Orchestre Philharmonique de Slovaquie) and the Slovak Philharmonic Chorus (as Choeur Philharmonique de Slovaquie), conducted by Zdenek Kosler (as Zdeneck Kossler)

    User reviews37

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    7/10
    A rare gem- a movie that is humorously smart and yet deeply moving
    Paloma Josse (Garance Le Guillermic) is a eleven year old girl disturbed by her privileged life in Paris. Her father Paul (Wladimir Yordanoff) is distracted by his government job while her mother Solange (Anne Brochet) drinks champagne with anti-depressants while talking to her plants. She decides she will kill herself in 165 days on her 12th birthday and begins to document the hypocrisy of the adults in her apartment building with her father's old camcorder. The apartment janitor, Renee, may appear to be a just another middle-aged woman who is bitter and grumpy, somewhat prickly, but when a new Japanese neighbor, Kakuro Ozu (Togo Igawa) moves in, he sees something else in her, something soft. This intrigues Paloma about "The Hedgehog", a term used to describe Renee. Despite the fact that Paloma and Renee are on opposite ends of the socioeconomic scale, both of them prefers to quietly observe life from a place of relative obscurity while dwelling on the edge of the society

    The soul of the film is definitely the subtle love story between Kakuro and Renee. Kakuro surprises Renee by completing her comment that 'happy families are all alike,' with 'but each unhappy family is unique,' which is a direct quote from a novel during their first meeting. As Renee goes through her own transformation, the chemistry between her and Kakuro grows. It was then the three form a unique bond and we see Paloma and Renee emerge from hiding and begin to embrace life..

    While adapting Muriel Barbery's bestselling novel "The Elegance of the Hedgehog", director Mona Achache makes a memorable directorial debut. She complements Barbery's style and enhances her work through Paloma's actions, doing things such as putting her older sister Colombe (Sarah Le Picard) in a 'fishbowl' by filming her through a glass of water (as a metaphor of Paloma's own life) and animating the drawings she created. While her character provides the narrative framing, young Le Guillermic makes an entertaining observer and narrator. The supporting cast as the Josse family gives a solid performance, creating a household which Paloma wish to escape from thoroughly believable. Igawa as Kakuro is gentle but understated and Balasko's Renee is a revelation, her performance is nuanced and graceful from within her dowdy exterior.

    The Hedgehog is a heartwarming and unique tale, highlighting the importance of digging through the hard surface of life for the chance of discovering the hidden meanings and enjoyment beneath. Life, sometimes like the hedgehog, conceals a sophisticated elegance beneath a spiky veneer.

    • www.moviexclusive.com
    helpful•9
    2
    • moviexclusive
    • May 20, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 3, 2009 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • France
      • Italy
    • Official sites
      • NeoClassics Films (United States)
      • Official site (Australia)
    • Languages
      • French
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • El encanto del Erizo
    • Production companies
      • Les Films des Tournelles
      • Eagle Pictures
      • France 2 Cinéma
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $707,945
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $39,276
      • Aug 21, 2011
    • Gross worldwide
      • $14,695,775
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 40 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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