The Hedgehog

The eleven year old daughter of a wealthy Paris family decides life is pointless and plans to die on her birthday. Until then she records everything on a camera. The concierge in the same building is far better read than anyone assumes and hides it. A Japanese neighbour who has just moved in notices. The film brings the three together slowly, and the narrative makes how class renders people invisible its subject. Mona Achache directed, with Josiane Balasko in the lead, adapting Muriel Barbery's novel. A real warning: the film opens with a child planning suicide and there is a sudden death at the close. Do not come to it expecting a light French comedy.