In Ladj Ly's contemporary 'Les Misérables,' a drone captures an out-of-control arrest by an anti-crime unit amid tensions in the projects in Paris.
The reason for all this excitement is that, like the original Hugo novel, “Les Misérables” is both culturally relevant and dramatically compelling, finding a way to balance artistic metaphor, hugely involving storytelling and criticism of a system that allows crushing poverty to survive and prosper.Though this energetic, terrifyingly real film is Ly’s debut as a feature director, he has been making movies, mostly documentaries, for decades.
In an inspired bit of counterpoint, Ly has chosen to open “Les Misérables” on an unexpected happy note. Inspired by 1998’s World Cup, he shows neighborhood kids headed into central Paris, draping themselves in the French flag and celebrating with people of all colors as their country wins. It’s a note of beautiful unity we never get close to again.
A confrontational bigot with a hair-trigger temper, he immediately starts to needle Stephane, nicknaming him “Greaser” because of his hairstyle. When the new guy questions his lack of politeness, Chris snaps, “why don’t you work as a butler in a palace.” We get to observe other neighborhood kids too, running around in packs looking to amuse themselves. Key among these is Buzz , a quiet type with enormous glasses whose fixation on filming everything in the neighborhood from his drone, especially girls, becomes central to the plot.
Jimmy turns out to be a baby lion cub, and as the police attempt to get him back, something unforeseen and terrible happens and it is the nature of the neighborhood that each faction is desperate not to do the right thing but to find a way to use it to their advantage.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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