[Review] Les Misérables

"Do You Hear the People Sing?" This song from Les Misérables often echoed through the streets of Hong Kong last year, and I believe everyone will be familiar with it. This time, Les Misérables is not a direct adaptation of the story of Les Misérables, but its plot is closer to the current situation in Hong Kong than any film I have seen before.

The film opens with the scene of Paris streets filled with crowds when the French team won the World Cup in 2018. People of all colors, political views, and social classes waved the French flag together, celebrating as French citizens. Based on this scene alone, French society seems prosperous, with people living in harmony and integration. However, the subsequent plot of the film presents a completely different picture, focusing on the conflicts between police and residents, as well as racial and religious tensions, in the Parisian suburb of Montfermeil, shattering the illusion of the opening scene. The conflict in the film originates from a small incident, and although it later reveals the underlying contradictions between races and religions, what truly exacerbates the situation and makes it spiral out of control is police violence, arrogance, and an unjust system.

The film centers on Stéphane Ruiz (Damien Bonnard), a police officer who has just moved to Montfermeil from another city, mainly focusing on his first day joining the anti-crime squad. The first half of the film straightforwardly narrates his first patrol following two senior officers, Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djebril Zonga), allowing the audience to understand the characters, power dynamics, and relationships in this city. Chris and Gwada have worked in this city for a long time and have a tacit understanding during their duties. However, as an outsider, Stéphane initially feels that Chris's behavior of provoking and bullying the weak is a bit excessive. Nevertheless, Stéphane is not the conscience-driven police officer that some might imagine. He is not particularly polite to the citizens and does not hesitate to use force, but he tries to work according to the rules as much as possible. Even when he feels Chris goes too far occasionally, he doesn't react much, seemingly wanting to do his job well and not interfere with his colleagues' actions. When necessary, his primary goal is also to protect his team members, showing how strong their team spirit is.

Later, during a conflict, Gwada shoots a child named Issa in the face with a riot gun, and the entire process is captured by a drone. Stéphane immediately suggests taking Issa to the emergency room, but his two partners refuse. They propose obtaining the drone footage first because they don't want Gwada to face any consequences for this incident. In their eyes, Issa is just a thug, and his life and health are not important; their careers are what matter. Even though Stéphane still has a conscience and usually act according to the rules, he still follows his colleagues' orders at this moment and does not take Issa to the hospital. And Chris and Gwada's solution after making a mistake is to seek help from the local gang, trying to destroy the evidence. The scene of police seeking help from gangsters to cover up the truth looks incredibly realistic. On the other hand, the local gang leader, "the Mayor," wants to use this incident to take down Chris and the other police officers for their own benefit. Eventually, during a confrontation, Stéphane persuades the local religious leader and obtains the drone footage. He points out that France also experienced riots due to systemic and deep-seated contradictions more than a decade ago, but the riots did not bring about change and were simply forgotten. After obtaining the footage, the police officers still do not take Issa to the hospital, instead putting him in even more serious danger. Their work throughout the day is ostensibly to maintain law and order and resolve conflicts, but they never follow the rules, acting entirely according to their own preferences and interests. When questioned, they even claim that they are the law and do not allow anyone to question them. The film then shows the three men returning home, which is particularly poignant – this is just one day of their duty, and it's truly hard to imagine what happens on the second and third days. If they continue to be so arrogant and disregard the rules, worse things will only follow.

However, the film surprisingly does not end here. Some time later, the three officers encounter Issa and his friends again during a patrol and are ambushed by them, trapped in a building under attack. Violence cannot solve problems and may not bring about change, but for this group of children living under oppression, pain, and an unjust system, they have little left to lose. Seeing that justice is not served and losing faith in the system, they would rather use their own methods, using violence to punish those who have made mistakes, and even making those who stood by and watched face retribution. The film ends with an open ending, freezing on a gaze between Issa and Stéphane, as if time has stopped. We don't know what the outcome will be for the two, but I won't be able to forget Issa's firm gaze and the scars on his face for a long time. No matter what happens in this scene, Issa will always be harmed, and no one can erase his scars.

In 2019, there were two highly anticipated French films: one was Portrait of a Lady on Fire, considered by critics as one of the best films of the year, and the other was this film, Les Misérables, which represented France in the Best International Feature Film category at the Oscars. Both films were distributed in Hong Kong by the same company. Thank you to them for bringing these two excellent works to Hong Kong audiences. Finally, I must once again thank the distributor for bringing this timely and significant film to Hong Kong at this moment, even at the risk of being accused of inciting the public.

France, like many other places in the world, may also have issues with police brutality, but at least the majority of its people and politicians still defend freedom, democracy, and fraternity. Life is unpredictable, and I hope everyone will cherish the time we can still freely watch films and freely comment on them.

Trailer:

Synopsis:

Inspired by the 2005 riots in Paris, LES MISÉRABLES – directed by Ladj Ly – follows Stéphane (Damien Bonnard), a recent transplant to the impoverished suburb of Montfermeil, as he joins the local anti-crime squad. Working alongside his unscrupulous colleagues Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djebril Zonga), Stéphane struggles to maintain order amidst the mounting tensions between local gangs. When an arrest turns unexpectedly violent, the three officers must reckon with the aftermath and keep the neighborhood from spiraling out of control.

Photo and Source: Prime Movies