An Appalachian Rendezvous with French Cinema: The Hedgehog July 2, 2012

Pre-film talk with festival film expert Dr. John Pfeifer begins at 8pm and will last approximately 30 minutes.

Inspired by the best-selling novel The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery, this film is a moving story of love, life and the beauty of unexpected friendships. Reneé is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building, who meets society’s expectations of what a concierge should be— reliable though totally uncultured. But beneath this façade lies the real Reneé: passionate about culture and the arts, and more knowledgeable in many ways than her employers, with their outwardly successful but emotionally void lives. Meanwhile, several floors up, eleven year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the pampered vacuous future laid out for her, and in an effort to show how absurd her life is, decides to film the people around her. But unknown to them both, a chance acquaintance with their elegant and enigmatic new neighbor, Mr. Ozu, will change their lives forever.

UnRated; Directed by Mona Achache (2009); 100 minutes. This film includes subtitles.

Official Website: http://appsummer.org/schedule/id/411