Film Review: Les Misérables (2019)

In, what now seems to be distant times, when a different occupant of the White House was the most hated personality and source of all evil in the world, the European Union was in the eastern parts of Old Continent almost unanimously elevated to as the solution to all problems. And in doing so, the main arguments mentioned were not only the obvious prosperity along with a 'more relaxed' way of life and a generous welfare state, but also that EU member states were almost entirely free from the negative effects of what religious, ethnic, racial and similar differences caused in less fortunate parts of the world. Today, after the still-unresolved economic crisis, Brexit, secessionist referendums, wars and the rise of nationalism, that this utopian vision is far from truth. But it must also be admitted that there were those who warning of a far darker and more prosaic reality the utopian glaze lay. This primarily relates to France, where three decades ago Mathieu Kassovitz, with his once-celebrated and now somewhat forgotten film @drax/retro-film-review-la-haine-1995" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">La Haine, prophetically pointed to the riots and violence in the banlieues which would explode exactly ten years later. The same themes are continued by Les Misérables, the debut film of Ladj Ly, a filmmaker of Malian origin who last year won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Although the title suggests it is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name, the only connection is that the plot is set in Montfermeil, an eastern Paris suburb where part of the novel's plot took place. Montfermeil, today populated mainly by African and Arab immigrants, or their descendants, is also the author's birthplace, as well as the scene of an incident that occurred in 2008 and served as inspiration for the screenplay. The film itself begins on 15 July 2018, the day of the football World Cup final, and shows how a group of dark-skinned boys from Montfermeil go to the centre of Paris to cheer for 'Les Bleus' and join the general celebration after their victory over Croatia, which many French and even European commentators interpreted as an event during which France managed, at least symbolically, to overcome the racial, ethnic and cultural differences among its citizens. The day after the celebration, however, the boys from Montfermeil return to the harsh reality of a faceless and depressing concrete estate reigned by poverty, endemic violence, crime, street gangs and lack of perspective. The Sisyphean attempt to maintain some semblance of peace and orderr on the streets is entrusted to special police units like the team made up of the white officer Chris (Alexis Manenti) and the black officer Gwada (Djibril ZongaZonga), who have just been joined by the relatively inexperienced Ruiz (Damien Bonnard). The day is exceptionally hot, passions are boiling, and when a boy named Issa (Issa Perica) steals a lion cub from a Roma circus, the police trio tries to find him and thus prevent an interracial conflict. In doing so, however, they themselves escalate the violence in an incident recorded by a drone camera operated by a boy named Buzz (Al Hassan Ly). Afterwards, they try to cover it up, with Ruiz's growing discontent – who, on the other hand, is less worried about the police internal affairs investigation than about the fact that releasing the footage could cause apocalyptic riots.

Inevitable comparisons between Les Misérables and La Haine show considerable similarities, primarily in the screenplay which uses an ethnically diverse trio of protagonists, as well as a relatively tight timeframe and a disturbingly violent finale with a kind of 'cliffhanger'. But differences can also be observed, leading to the rather depressing conclusion that in the quarter of a century since La Haine, little has changed in the French banlieues, except, of course, changes for the worse. So, their inhabitants today have technological marvels like social media and drones at their disposal, but instead of improving their lives, these only serve as tools to fan the flames; the French state has more or less given up on its citizens, and in the banlieues the power vacuum is filled not only by drug dealers and the corrupt petty politicians associated with them but also by Islamic fundamentalists, and the War of Terror serves as an additional means of police intimidation.

Les Misérables, on the other hand, is extremely well directed, skilfully combining authentic locations, dynamic editing and young actors who can be assumed to be gifted naturals. The professional cast does a fairly good job, especially Damien Bonnard as the policeman with a conscience and the only somewhat 'normal' character with whom a regular audience could identify. On the other hand, although relatively short, Les Misérables has pacing problems right at the start and several dry scenes, and the disturbing finale could have been technically a bit more polished. Nevertheless, it is an extremely impressive work whose greatest shortcoming is perhaps the impression that it depicts a depressing reality that will be the same or even worse in the next quarter of a century."

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

(Note: The text in the original Croatian version is available here.)

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