301. Les Misérables; movie review

 

LES MISÉRABLES

Cert 15

101 mins

BBFC advice: Contains very strong language, brief sexual threat

“Even the darkest night will end and the sun will rise.”

Never have we needed to believe the words of the finale of the musical version of Les Misérables more than today. 

Sadly, such hope feels a long way from the suburb of Montfermeil where Victor Hugo based his famous work.

Nowadays, this is also where drugs are more available than jobs and where the state's control is in the hand of a police force who appear to be on war footing.

Ladj Ly's film stars Damien Bonnard as Stéphane who has transferred from Cherbourg to join the Anti-Crime team in Montfermeil.

He is a man of high standards but is naive to the ways of the team and, in particular, his new partners Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djebril Zonga).

They throw their weight around, attempting to enforce the law through fear as tensions run high between rival neighbourhood gangs.

However, control is lost when they are overrun during an arrest and a drone captures the action.

Les Misérables reflects on how life is on a knife-edge is a densely populated suburb where few residents have legal employment.

It was inspired by the 2005 riots and draws clear lines between the disenfranchised of Hugo's novel and the angry youth of 150 years later.

Issa Perica plays Issa who becomes the symbol for the young because he is being sought by the police after stealing a lion cub!

Meanwhile,  Steve Tientcheu is a community leader who is motivated by power and Almamy Kanoute is a kebab shop owner who is the man to whom everyone turns during a crisis.

This is Paris 20 years on from La Haine but with the same issues of disaffection and anger at authority.

Society not having changed in wo decades is worrying and dangerous but it is Ly's impression that they haven't even moved on since the mid 19th century.

Unfortunately, the parallels are clear and they are demonstrated thoughtfully and with great power.

Reasons to watch: A sobering glimpse inside of Paris today

Reasons to avoid: Difficult to know whether it is exaggerated

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 8/10

Did you know? French journalist  Valentin Gendrot French journalist who infiltrated the country’s police force reported in 2020 a culture of racism and violence in which officers act with impunity.  He described one incident where he was forced to help falsify evidence against an adolescent who had been beaten by an officer.

The final word Ladj Ly: "Everything in it is based on actual events: the jubilation of the World Cup victory of course, the arrival of the new cop in the neighbourhood, the drone, even the stolen lion and the gypsies. For five years I filmed everything that went on in my neighborhood, particularly the cops. The minute they’d turn up, I’d grab my camera and film them, until the day I filmed a real police blunder. I wanted to show the incredible diversity of these neighborhoods. I still live there: it’s my life and I love filming there. It’s my set!

Share this post