Les Misérables (dir. by Ladj Ly, 2019)

Les Misérables ends with a memorable and thought-provoking quote taken from Victor Hugo’s famous novel from which the film takes its title. "Remember this, my friends: there are no such things as bad plants or bad men. There are only bad cultivators." It’s something that sticks with you when juxtaposed against the film’s thrilling and explosive finale. Les Misérables is an unapologetically French film, but as well as that, it’s an unapologetic pipe-bomb of modern social realism that deserves more recognition as one of the best films of 2019. It has only received a limited theatrical release in the UK this year, but it’s one you won’t want to miss, and one you will find particularly hard to forget.

The story centres on Brigadier Stéphane Ruiz (Damien Bonnard), a countryside cop who moves to Paris to be closer to his son who now lives with his ex-wife. In doing so, he joins the SCU, an anti-crime police unit who operates within Montfermeil, one of the poorest and most crime-ridden suburbs in the French capital. The squad consists of Chris (Alexis Manenti), the braggadocious leader who frequently abuses his powers, and Gwada (Djebril Zonga) a more sympathetic character than Chris, but still one that is complacent in their consistent use of police brutality.

Reminiscent of Hollywood films such as Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing and Antoine Fuqua’s Training Day, the plot mostly takes place over one day, as the squad deal with gang feuds, thefts and the dire consequences of their own misguided actions throughout the rundown neighbourhoods of Montfermeil. It’s astounding that this is director Ladj Ly’s debut feature film, as his command of both the film’s simmering tension and its gorgeous visuals is exquisite. Ly is consistently able to reveal both the darkness of the human condition as well as the beauty of the world around us with the camera throughout Les Misérables.

Its contemporary social relevance cannot be understated, and as Ruiz jokingly quips when he arrives in Montfermeil, the place hasn’t much changed since the way it is described in Hugo’s novel. The different factions and characters that lead them are all unique and fleshed out. Although many of them receive limited screen time, the world the characters create and inhabit feels tangible and real. The camera’s shakiness and unnerving close and tight angles create the aura of a documentary, something Ly was undoubtedly trying to achieve.

Racial and ethnic politics is a key theme explored within the film, as most of the inhabitants pictured in Montfermeil are either of African or Middle Eastern descent. Les Misérables treats the topic of race in a deft and intelligent fashion. Ly shows the rifts between different cultures and its harmful effects, but he also shows that it’s the lack of social and economic aid that is the root of the problem. This is clear to see during the film’s opening moments. Crowds of French people, different ethnicities, ages, and social statuses, all celebrating together along the Avenue des Champs-Élysées following the country’s victory at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Les Misérables is a cinematic gut punch. It is powerful and shocking in its message, which is conveyed in a terrifying yet necessary manner in its final moments. Raw and unforgiving, Ladj Ly’s debut deserves far more love internationally. It was a critical success in its home country, winning the Jury Prize at 2019’s Cannes Film Festival, but it failed to reach such levels of hype as Bong Joon-Ho’s Parasite. For anyone who is a fan of thrilling and dramatic social realist cinema, Les Misérables is for you. Just be warned, it is no easy watch.