COLCOA FILM REVIEW: Brilliant, compelling, and merciless masterwork, “Les Misérables” is a fresh new approach to Victor Hugo’s magnum opus, to today’s urban, conflicting suburbs in France.
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| Lodj Ly, director of Les Misérables at COLCOA. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019 |
Director Lodj Ly, influenced by his experiences during the 2005 big-city project riots, adapted Les Misérables from his 2017 Award-Winning short film.
The timing of this astonishing film debut couldn’t be better. Lodj’s story begins with the eruption of collective euphoria on the streets of Paris, sparked by the victorious celebration of France’s 2018 FIFA World Cup win in Russia. The event unified the country and also highlighted its social differences.
From the very beginning, the antagonistic groups line up. Among them are the gypsies, owners of a colorful circus; the black immigrants; the mafia guys; the Muslim Brotherhood; and the shady cops.
The officers’ actions trigger out-of-control chaos, and the anarchy could jeopardize their well-being. The compromising situation can be overwhelmingly dangerous and explosive, like a Molotov cocktail.
In her more serious role as Le Commissaire, Jeanne Balibar (known for “Barbara” and “I Hate Love”) instructs her police officers about the concept of “solidarity” at the police station: “There is no solidarity without a team; we are alone; you only have each other.” She introduces a new member, Brigadier Stéphane Ruiz, played by Damien Bonnard (from “The Trouble with You” and “Dunkirk”), to the squad. The other two officers, Chris and Gwada (portrayed by Alexis Manetti and Djibril Zonga), are hesitant to accept the rookie.
In the patrol, Chris takes the lead, acting above the law and feeling like the new sheriff in a cowboy movie town. He thinks he can do whatever he wants.
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| Lodj Ly, director of Les Misérables, and actors Damien Bonnard and Djibril Zonga at COLCOA. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019 |
This new, more visceral adaptation of Les Misérables was inspired by director Lodj Ly’s witnessing of police brutality.
He said his film was hard to finance because of its subject matter. It took him nearly ten years to make. Two hundred people participated in his epic production. The young actors were primarily children from the immigrant community with no experience, hope, or future. By participating in this film, they found new meaning in their lives.
In Lodj Ly’s words, he compromises with the marginalized, underprivileged immigrant community. Therefore, he is creating a film school to introduce children to the visual arts and to let them tell their stories through powerful images of their surroundings.
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| Lodj Ly, director of Les Misérables at COLCOA. Photo José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019 |
French society unifies when the World Cup is won. Soccer gives a feeling of belonging to a country. But when the game is over, everyone goes back to their differences.
The reality presented in Les Misérables shakes the viewer by juxtaposing collective happiness with the anarchy caused by corrupt cops. The award-winning project vividly depicts young people struggling with a lack of future in an alienating society.
The French film is cathartic, offering a small window of hope and the possibility of constructing an inclusive society soon, in an idealistic sense.
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| Djibril Zonga, actor. Photo: José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019 |
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| Lodj Ly, director of Les Misérables. Film critic José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA, ©2019 |
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