"the Hérisson" (The Hedgehog in Italian) [2009] is the title of the first film Mona Achache. This is an adaptation of the novel by Muriel Barbery "the elegance of the hedgehog," a true literary event, not just French. The writer, however, has distanced himself from the film, which in its opinion, is too far removed from the book.
I liked the film immensely. Sober, "elegant", just like the word deducted from the title ("Why is it so that its practitioners call it," says the director). Elegant and beautiful is the soundtrack. The environment is Paris it almost always is in movies French, but do not see it hardly ever, or at least, there are no places or symbols which leads through the capital would be recognizable. Much of the movie in fact, takes place indoors, which help tell the interiority of the characters. A film full of rooms, like my blog. Middle-class rooms (the house of Paloma) "East" (the home of Kakuro), proletarian (the reception) and rooms "Literature" (from which my particular affinity with Renee).
Paloma is the pivot around which the story. Renée is for her an important point of reference, a true beacon. I find the description of these two beautiful women, one young, the other couple, and disillusioned. Both fragile, but for different reasons. Their union, which is that of friendship, a sense to both.
I also think that the French have a way around them to tell the relationship between children and adults. (Vigo, Truffaut and many others ...)
But back to the "hedgehog" There are three key characters in the film:
Renee (played by Josiane Balasko wonderful ) is an "old" concierge: surly, scruffy, the opposite of the canonical "Beautiful". Lout pretends to avoid relationships with the world that she sees only a humble craft and related clichés [" do not leave your cat, do not let the door " Paloma says when her mother closes the door behind him, pushing out with Renée].
René has a secret room full of books, a "cache." Reads a lot, and in those moments he loves munching dark chocolate. In the book we are told that the woman is self-taught and like all self-taught (I think more in Truffaut) passes from delusion to the sense of impotence [I added the quotation of the passage in the bottom of this note]
[ in this scene: Renee has just turned down an invitation to dinner Kakuro, but then confused cries and embraces the Paloma, a the most tender scenes of the film because his tears seem to melt the wall that for years has kept out of life. ]
Paloma, ( de Garance Guillermic ) that is read with the accent on the "A" because it is French and teenager wake up, well above the average inteligente, who lives in a high-bourgeois family. His fate is wealth, but she sees in adults projection of what will become of his life, he sees them like fish in a bowl, and as such they will not fall, decides that completed the twelfth year of age commit suicide. Girl over the top, love the Japanese culture and language. And 'skilful in design and thought, and delights in the direction of the last month of his life in a film that wants to show that life is absurd . We see it often, especially at the beginning, while he adjusts his glasses, which continuous between the tangle of curly hair. (I ricordaTruffaut and constant with which the women in his films are arranged glasses, as the symbol of the difficulty of seeing things as they really are. Kate, the scene of the chalet for example, but the trick appears in many films)
[The wall is broken. René ride as it had never happened during the movie. And 'live for the first time in years. But are his last hours, and she can not know]
Kakuro Ozu (Togo Igawa) is to me a figure of irresistible charm. Embodies a far east and culturally intriguing. A type of humanity which today seems to have vanished. He is a gentle man, educated, friendly but not flashy. Its sweet and singularly expressive eyes ever see people hiding behind all the rest. E 'only, with Paloma to understand that behind the hedgehog (Renée) hides an elegant figure and fine. E 'to him and his little friend, Renee owes its revival after years of significant apathy, hidden past to live without ever exposing himself and trying emotions were not those of the books, then someone else. Renée, again before the mirror, once again ready to get involved, but at this point the game ends. And his date of death matches with the happiest of days, when, as he says Paloma "was ready to love ".
For a finale the spectator is unbearable. We are used to hundreds of happy ending in every shape and sauce that scene and so real, plausible, it is almost unacceptable. The world is how it goes , and "insecure" is the adjective that will remind us in the history books one day. We therefore need at least at the cinema, a final positive, otherwise the banality. Renée dies hit by half. He still has the dress that gave her Kakuro, still has the flavor of that phrase in the mouth of Anna Karenina: "All happy families are alike, but unhappy ones are each in its own way" These were the last Renee's words: "How do you decide the value of a life? Paloma that your live up to what you promise"
Paloma These last words: "So is this? suddenly everything stops? is this die? never again see those you love, never again see those who love you? If you die this is precisely the tragedy they say .... What matters is not to die, but what you do when you die. René, what she did at the time of death? She was ready to love "
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPFwZ5468rg [Movie Trailer]
Two excerpts from the book:
(Paloma)
Deep Thought # 1
Dreams
the stars in the mouths of fish
Red finish.
Apparently, every now and then adults take time to sit and contemplate the disaster of their lives. Then they complain without understanding and, as always flies banging against the same glass, stir, suffer, deteriorate, get depressed and wonder what mechanism brought them where they did not want to go. For the more intelligent it becomes even a religion: Ah! Abject vacuity of the 'bourgeois existence! Some cynics of this type, dine at the table of my father: "What has happened to our dreams of youth?" Wonder disenchanted with air and satisfied. "Flew away, and life is their bastard" I hate this false clarity of maturity. The truth is that they are like everyone else, kids who do not understand what happened and who play at being tough and they want to cry. Yet it is not so difficult to understand. The problem is that children believe in the great speeches, and a great time, she takes it in turn deceiving children. "Life has a meaning and adults to keep it" is the universal lie that everyone is forced to believe . As adults, when we realize that is not true, it is too late. The mystery remains, but all energy is gone by time wasted in stupid activities. You just have to try to anesthetize, hiding the fact that we can not give meaning to our lives and deceiving our children to try to convince ourselves better. My family attends all of whom have followed the same pattern: a youth spent trying to capitalize on their intelligence, like a lemon and squeeze their studies and to secure a position at the top, and then an entire life asking stunned because these hopes have resulted in a life so useless. People think of chasing the stars and ends as a goldfish in a bowl. I wonder if it would be easier to teach children right from the start that life is absurd . This would take away some happy moments to childhood, but would gain a lot 'of time without adult- count that would prevent at least one trauma, one of the ball.
(René)
Rejecting the clash.
I have read many books ...
Yet, like all self-taught, never sure of what I understand. One day I seem to embrace at one glance all knowledge, as if suddenly invisible branches were born, and weave together all my scattered readings - then immediately the meaning slips away, the essential thing escapes me, and as re-read the same rows each time I appear to be more elusive, and I see myself as an old fool who thinks he has a full belly just because he read the menu. It seems that the presence of talent and blindness is the hallmark dell'autodidatta. While depriving the subject of safe driving every providing good training, however, gives him freedom and capacity for synthesis of thought, where the official speeches and prohibit the barriers hindering adventure.
Paloma
Last profound thought
But what to do before a
never
if not continuously seek
in furtive notes?
Madame Michelle died this morning. E 'pickup truck was hit by a dry cleaner ... I can not believe I'm writing these words. ...
Kakuro has played with us about eleven o'clock. He asked me, then took my hand and said: "There is no way to avoid this pain, Paloma, then I'll tell you as it happened: just now about nine Renée had an accident . A very serious accident. E 'dead. ...
For the first time in my life have I experienced the meaning of the words never . Well is a terrible thing. ...
not worry Renee I do not commit suicide and I will not focus precisely nothing. Because from now on, for you, always go in search of ever. The beauty here in this world.
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