A film by Mona Achache based on the novel “The Elegance of the Hedgehog” (French: L'Élégance du hérisson) by the French novelist and professor of philosophy Muriel Barbery.

First released in August 2006, the novel became a publishing success in France the following year, selling over a million copies. It has been translated into several languages and published in a number of countries outside France, including the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States, attracting critical praise for both the work and its author.

Renée is the concierge of a grand Parisian apartment building, home to members of the great and the good. Over the years she has maintained her carefully constructed persona as someone reliable but totally uncultivated, in keeping, she feels, with society's expectations of what a concierge should be. But beneath this façade lies the real Renée: passionate about culture and the arts. Down in her lodge Renée lives resigned to her lonely lot with only her cat for company. Meanwhile, several floors up, twelve-year-old Paloma Josse is determined to avoid the pampered and vacuous future laid out for her, and decides to end her life on her thirteenth birthday. But unknown to them both, the sudden death of one of their privileged neighbours will dramatically alter their lives forever.

The Soundtrack: Gabriel Yared (City Of Angels, The Lives Of Others..) who has been a fan of L'Elegance du Hérisson since it was first published, composed a score which was greatly inspired by the two main characters in the film. This led him to orchestrate a wonderfully emotional score with two main themes for this absolutely gorgeous movie.