hedgehogs and macarons

I had wanted to see 'Le Hérisson' ('the Hedgehog') at the French Film Festival several months ago, but it was one of several movies that didn't play at a suitable time and place for me, and I missed out. When I saw it previewed on 'At the Movies' recently, I made a mental note to watch out for it (although I thought David and Margaret seemed a little underwhelmed by it, despite rating it fairly well).

The past weekend was fairly busy, so I didn't get to the cinema at all, but I made a snap decision to stop at the Como on my way home from work on Monday, and was pleased to find that there was a 5:15 session of L'Hérisson, which was pretty much ideal for me.

I was so glad I'd made the effort to go see it. Although it deals with some heavy and unhappy themes, I thought it was an excellent character piece, with delightful protagonists and an exotic (to me) setting. The end (which I won't spoil here) was shocking and a sad, but the movie itself was a pleasure. All the three lead characters, were excellent, and I was happy to see one of the my favourite French actors, Anne Brochet ('Comme les Autres') in a supporting role as well. I'd give this one 4 stars.

Oh, and one thing I learned while I was at the Como Centre for the film... I'd never previously noticed that there's a Laurent bakery there. I often call into the Laurent store in the city and pick up a couple of macarons for a treat, even though they seem pretty pricey, at $2 each (the most I paid for a macaron in Paris was €1 (around $1.70), but most were much cheaper.)

In keeping with the French theme of the evening, I decided to buy a couple of macarons to eat at the film. I assumed that, being out of the city, the store at the Como would be similar in price, or perhaps a little cheaper, than the city store, so I was really shocked to be charged $4.80 for two macarons! I can't understand why they'd be another 20% dearer at the Como (maybe because people who live around there can afford it and don't care), but next time, I'll stop by the city store instead!