Renée, the concierge of an upper class apartment building in Paris, who is also referred to as the janitor, chooses to hide her true self behind the façade of the stereotypical concierge: gruff, stupid, solitary, but always polite. Paloma, an 11 year old tenant of the building, has decided to commit suicide on her 12th birthday because she believes destiny has committed her to a life like that of a goldfish in a bowl. The two form an unlikely friendship. Renée's prickly exterior, like that of a hedgehog, starts to soften and Paloma finds a place to hide from her bourgeois family. Also in the mix is new tenant, Mr. Ozu, a wealthy Japanese retired businessman who sees through Renée's act of uneducated and uninteresting cleaning lady.
This film is based on the 2007 best selling book, 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog.' As with all adaptations from book to film, much must be edited out due to time constraints and what 'film people' (or in this case, director/screenwriter Mona Achache) believe will be of interest to film viewers. Unfortunately, vital information was deleted from the film which could have added depth and understanding to Renée's life choices and behavior.
The very core or Renée's being, her relationship with her family as a child and with her husband was deleted. Why she had such extreme feelings of worthlessness and a need to hide were excised from the screenplay. The true heart of the story is missing from the film. 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog' has been recommended by psychiatrists and therapists in France for people with similar psychological problems to help them understand their own self-destructive processes. Without understanding of Renée's background and tragic experiences, no one can profit from the film in the same way. In Just being short, fat and ugly makes this woman choose to hide in her chamber, alone and unappreciated -- or so we assume from the film. All we get is the superficial and most obvious explanation for her deep sense of self-hatred and fear of being discovered. We are shortchanged from the rich source which is the original book
Likewise, Paloma's decision to commit suicide is reduced to a goldfish in a bowl and a series of drawings on her bedroom wall, like the numbered boxes in a calendar, counting off her birth/death date.
Thankfully though, Achache also excised the endless pages of philosophical discourse Renée conjured in her mind all those solitary hours in her secret library. Much like mental masturbation, it should be enjoyed alone. But it was a way to confirm Renée's advanced intelligence (and author Barbery's, herself a professor of philosophy). The filom audience can only assume Renée has much to hide in mental acuity by the size of her book collection and one sentence spoken to Mr. Ozu.
Still, the sad story of an easily ignored, unattractive, surely figure overlooked by those who consider themselves her superior, and the friendship with her curried by the poor little rich girl is endearing. The subtle nuances of the performance by Josiane Balasko as the gruff concierge show true artistry as an actor. And little Garance Le Guillermic as the death-bent Paloma showed maturity beyond her years. They just couldn't give us the whole story as originally written.
Must say, though, that the ending of both the book and film is abrupt and insulting to both reader/audience -- as if the author ran out of ideas, got bored with the project, was running late with the publisher.. I can so no more. I'm no spoiler!
The Hedgeog
Director / Writer: Mona Achache
From the neovel ''The Elegance of the Hedgehog' by Muriel Barbery
Cast: Josiane Balasko, Garance Le Guillermic, Togo Igawa, Anne Brochet, Ariane Ascaride, Wladimir Yordanoff
Time: 100 min.
Opening August 26 at the Clay Theatre in San Francisco
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