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This review was originally published on January 10th, but it is being republished because it is now available on Amazon Prime.
During the fall of 2005, riots erupted in the suburbs of Paris (and other cities), resulting in three weeks of chaos. Ladj Ly’s “Les Misérables” is haunted by the memory of that horrifying period in the city’s history. These suburbs’ predominantly North African immigrant population was outraged at the constant police harassment they were subjected to as well as the tragic death of two children who were electrocuted while hiding from the police in a substation. Although the events of “Les Misérables” take place in 2018, the year 2005 is never far from anyone’s mind. “Ever since 2005,” one of the characters explains. There isn’t anything else to say. Everyone is on the same page. There has been no resolution or resolutions. The situation has worsened, if anything, and has become even more polarized. This gripping, tense, and upsetting experience illustrates how seemingly insignificant events, while manageable in the particulars, can balloon into something out of control, such as a small fire exploding into a massive inferno, as in the case of “Les Misérables.”
Opening scenes take place during the World Cup celebrations in 2018, and show a group of children joining in with the roaring masses of people on the streets of Paris after navigating through turnstiles to get to their destination. They dress in the French flag and join in the singing of “La Marseillaise,” and they are shown celebrating in epic shots set against the backdrop of familiar Paris landmarks, such as the Arc de Triomphe and the Eiffel Tower, among other things. Ly hurls you into the middle of the crowd, which is squeezing in on all sides in a roar of exhilaration and a sense of shared purpose. This sequence serves as a prologue, in that it is not directly related to the events that follow, at least in terms of plot, but it is essential in establishing the concerns and themes that will be explored throughout the film. The events of “Les Misérables” unfold as these same children, who live in a housing project in Montfermeil, are targeted by the police for what is, in essence, a joke, and the situation will quickly spiral out of control, fueled by the racist commando-style tactics of the police, as well as general unrest and paranoia already simmering in the neighborhood. But first, Ly shows the children taking part in the celebrations for the French national day. It’s also their country, after all.
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A small police team patrolling the streets of the suburb of Montfermeil, which has a predominantly North African population, is the focus of the second act of “Les Misérables” after that. There are two veterans on the detail: Gwada (Djebril Zonga), who grew up in the area, is bilingual (French and Berber), and is skilled at defusing tensions; and Chris (Alexis Manenti), who is the polar opposite of Gwada, a white Frenchman with a straightforward approach to policing: “If you don’t know what you’re doing, don’t do it.” “Never say you’re sorry. Always in the right.” They have a new guy with them on this one particularly long day, Corporal Ruiz (Damien Bonnard), whom they have dubbed “Greaser” because of his slicked-back hair. He’s been with them since the beginning of the day. As a newcomer with primarily first-responder experience (which will come into play later), Ruiz is finding it difficult to navigate his way through the maze of responsibilities. Montfermeil is famous for being the location where Victor Hugo set the Thenardier’s inn in his 1862 masterpiece: Chris jokes that “Gavroche” would now be “Gavrochah,” which would mean Muslim, presumably, in today’s world.
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Throughout the day, there are interactions with civilians, some of which are friendly and others which are hostile. The differences between Chris and Gwada are striking, while Ruiz is still getting his bearings. In this game, there are many players, and the narrative jumps around from the kids seen in the opening sequence to the cops, the Mayor, and the Muslim Brotherhood (who attempt to keep the kids under control at the mosque), to a “ex-thug” (as the title suggests) who has transformed himself into the spiritual leader, the “go-to guy” of the area. All of these alliances shift and transform in response to the changing environment.
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A stolen lion cub threatens to turn 2018 into a rerun of the year 2005, and everything appears to be as it should be. The circus “gypsies” arrive in force, demanding the return of their circus lion, and the confrontation becomes so violent that the police are unable to keep it under control. Why can’t a simple command to the adolescent perpetrator—”Hey, kid, just return the lion, okay?”—be sufficient to resolve the situation? The situation has been completely exaggerated, and in the high-adrenaline environment created by pumped-up cops and enraged teenagers, anything can happen and does happen. One additional layer of complexity is that the confrontation is captured on the drone camera, which is operated by a lonesome kid on the roof, adding to the confusion.
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With its condensed timeline, multi-character story, and “inciting event” of police violence followed by justified outrage, the film is a good comparison to “Do the Right Thing,” and Ly juggles multiple balls deftly. An intricate three-dimensional portrait of a community, its striations of authority, the wary alliances formed, the backdoor deals struck, and the wheeling and dealing between unlikely allies are depicted. When it comes to the chase sequences and fight sequences, Ly uses a documentary style while maintaining complete control over the action. Every interaction has the potential for violence, but Ly doesn’t inflate the tensions by manipulating the situation. The subject is already hot enough; there is no need to heat it further.
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As a result of the plan to close off streets in one Paris neighborhood for Muslim prayers, far-right politician Marine Le Pen referred to it as a “occupation,” similar to that of a war: “Of course, there are no tanks and there are no soldiers, but it is nonetheless an occupation and it weighs heavily on the local residents.” Not only is the fate of this particular neighborhood at stake in “Les Misérables,” but also the fate of a stolen lion cub is at stake. What is at stake are issues of citizenship, which are really issues of belonging in the first place. Who “deserves” to be a part of something? Who “deserves” to consider themselves “French” in any way? The police officers make it abundantly clear through their actions that the people outside their car windows are not truly “French” in their eyes.
They linger and haunt, becoming increasingly painful in memory, especially the opening sequences, in which the children celebrate the World Cup in front of the Eiffel Tower.
For more personality quizzes check this: Greed Quiz.
