THE Hedgehog’, a 2009 French film directed by Mona Achache and loosely based on the novel ‘The Elegance of the Hedgehog’ by Muriel Barbery, will be screened at the Bahrain Cinema Club in Juffair at 7pm tonight.
The story follows Paloma, a young girl unhappily living in a luxurious Paris apartment with her family, bent on ending it all on her upcoming 12th birthday.
Using her father’s old camcorder to chronicle the hypocrisy she sees in adults, Paloma begins to learn about life from the grumpy building concierge, Renée Michel.
When the camera reveals the extensive secret library in Michel’s back room and that the often gruff matron reads Tolstoy to her cat, Paloma begins to understand that there are allies to be found beneath the prickliest of exteriors.
As the unlikely friendship deepens, Paloma’s own coming-of-age becomes a much less pessimistic prospect.
At the Cairo International Film Festival, the film won the Best Director, the FIPRESCI Prize and the Silver Pyramid.
Call 39682323 for details.