During the opening moments of the French film Les Misérables, in which you see large crowds of people during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, you get a strange feeling looking at it with the reality of today. In a society where you ensure that you keep enough distance from each other, it makes you feel uncomfortable. Obviously this was not the vision for the makers of the film, but it is almost alienating to see. The title might suggest that this is a new version of the famous book by Victor Hugo. There is no direct link however, but the events do take place in Montfermeil. It is the place where Hugo wrote his book and director Ladj Ly tells his own story.
The viewer follows a day with police officer Stéphane Ruiz, who has been transferred to this precinct and joins colleagues Chris and Gwada on his first day. It is not long before he finds out how his colleagues (ab)use their power and often intimidate young people. When a teenager, Issa, steals a lion cub from the circus, it is the lit fuse that could potentially lead to an explosive situation. The question is whether the three police officers can calm things down and solve it. It puts them to the test, needing the help of powerful people on the street who are not always helpful because they know how the police normally deal with them.
&nsbp;This realistical feeling film won the jury prize at the Cannes festival and that is understandable. The abuse of power by police officers is a problem that (unfortunately) is still relevant and regularly in the news, sometimes resulting in riots in France. Ly makes that painfully clear, so you also understand why young people sometimes decide to do something. Ly himself filmed such a situation of violence when he was younger and took that as the basis for the film. It turns Les Misérables into a movie that will get under your skin, giving you an idea of the balance of power, but also the sometimes hopeless situation in which people find themselves in a deprived neighborhood. A small event can have enormous consequences.
[score8]