Valentine marries at the end of the 19th century, and love passes through her family from generation to generation.
Cinematography
Every frame could hang in a museum. Mark Lee Ping-bing is a wizard.
Costume
The wedding dress evolves into a character itself. Devastating symbolism.
Direction
Trần Anh Hùng lets silence do the screaming. Masterclass in restraint.
Director
Trần Anh Hùng
Audrey Tautou
Valentine
Bérénice Bejo
Gabrielle
Mélanie Laurent
Mathilde
Jérémie Renier
Henri
Pierre Deladonchamps
Charles
Arieh Worthalter
Jules
Irène Jacob
Mère de Gabrielle
Valérie Stroh
Mère de Mathilde
Philippine Leroy-Beaulieu
Mère de Valentine
Trần Nữ Yên Khê
Narrator (voice)
Lou Lambrecht
Valentine (7 ans)
Thibault de Montalembert
Père de Valentine
Xavier de Guillebon
Père de Jules
Louka Meliava
Le jeune homme
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Alice Ferney's novel 'The Elegance of the Hedgehog' author? Nope—different Alice Ferney book called 'L'Occitanie.' Trần Anh Hùng actually wrote the screenplay first, then discovered Ferney's parallel novel and adapted it instead.
The film's structure mirrors Vietnamese Buddhist concepts of reincarnation and ancestral memory—fitting for a director who left Vietnam at age 12 and constantly explores displacement through French cinema.
FR
