In Paris, a Small Crime Turns Into Turmoil for Police and Civilians

From left: Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti, and Djibril Zonga
in "Les Misérables"
Photo Credit: RottenTomatoes.com

Victor Hugo’s novel, “Les Misérables,” has a timeless and inspirational story of what people are capable of when they band together to overthrow a government that doesn't have the best interests of the governed at heart.  With characters who instill a sense of empowerment in readers, it’s not hard to see why a story such as this has endured since its first publication in 1862.

However, the ideas of that book are presented from a whole new angle in Ladj Ly’s full-length feature directorial debut, “Les Misérables.”  Based on his 2017 short film of the same name, this is a visceral, layered, and haunting drama that tosses you into France’s criminal underworld and escalates without a stop.

Stéphane Ruiz (Damien Bonnard) moves to Paris and is given a job with the anti-crime squad in Montfermeil.  As fellow squad members Chris (Alexis Manenti) and Gwada (Djibril Zonga) begin showing him around the streets of the slums, the three of them will soon become embroiled in a theft that spreads tensions further than they could have anticipated.

The performances from Bonnard, Manenti, and Zonga (all of whom starred in the short film) provide magnificent work as a trio of characters with conflicting personalities that not only threaten the integrity of their work, but also their lives.  Bonnard is a law enforcement official who wants to make a change in his community; Manenti is a brash, impulsive agent who thrives on his inflated sense of power; and Zonga acts the middle man who tries to calm the roughness between his two partners.  The differences in how each of them conducts himself on the job helps to provide a lot of the film’s drama because you’re always wondering how the growing animosity of the situation is going to effect their different ways of thinking.  Their performances feel so grounded in the film’s environment that it’s impossible to not be enthralled by where their character arcs will take you.

Along with the three leads, the supporting cast is close to the bone in how realistic their performances are, such as Steve Tientcheu as the slum’s mayor; Issa Perica as Issa, a young boy whose actions put future events in motion; and Almamy Kanoute as Salah, a restaurant owner.  The rough connections that they build with the police allows us to see the strained relationship of the two groups, and the commitment of the supporting characters to their roles matches that of the actors playing the officers, resulting in a level of hostility between the main and supporting characters that brings you into the danger of the streets in which these characters work and live.

The screenplay by Ly, Giordano Gederlini, and Alexis Manenti takes a timely story of the growing animosity between police and civilians and uses it to explore the questionable actions of both sides.  There isn’t anything that’s clear cut about the situations in the movie, and it encourages you to ponder all of the actions that are made by the characters on both sides of the law, providing an ambiguousness that’s ensured to encourage impassioned discussions.  Given the amount of time that’s spent on both the cops and the civilians, we feel the full impact of the decisions that they all make, and the narrative succeeds in showing us several factions within the community, giving as much attention to the supporting characters as they do with the main trio.  This provides a genuine view of the details involving the slums and offers multiple perspectives amongst the many characters as to how the film’s scenario effects the town’s different groups, which gives us a chance to see the complexities within their interactions.  With the numerous characters involved and a story that never lets up on its escalation into chaos, the screenplay brings forth a movie that’s scorching in its unpredictability, something that’s made all of the more potent because of the story’s relevance.

Almost 90 percent of the movie takes place over the course of one day, creating a feeling of seeing the intensity that just 24 hours on the job can bring.  It’s overwhelming when you experience the trio of police officers go through so much in one day, and it makes you go up against the stress through which they traverse as they go from location to location and from person to person as they try to unravel the crime that has been committed.  However, the movie then ramps up the tension between law enforcement and civilians even more in the later part of the third act, during which an apocalyptic riot takes place that will leave you aghast as it unfolds.

While the cinematography by Julien Poupard is impressive throughout, the most notable aspect of his camerawork is the extensive use of aerial shots, several of which are from the point of view of a drone.  One of the film’s plot threads involves a teenage boy named Buzz (Al-Hassan Ly) who records a turning point of the movie with his drone camera.  Through these drone shots, Poupard captures the sense of the police having their every move watched, emphasizing how this is a situation where it’s the word of the police against that of the civilians.

Ly captures both the dramatic tension within the trio and the violent tension between the factions of the community.  The way in which the camera pretty much breathes down the characters’ backs provides the film with a documentary feel as we travel along with Stephane, Chris, and Gwada as they patrol the community and get deeper and deeper into the crime-ridden slums.  The way in which Ly employs tight closeups of the many characters helps you experience the frustration that emanates from their heated interactions.  The sense of apprehension that he brings to every scene pairs well with the uncertainty that a day in the profession of the three main characters brings them.

Ly presents us with a film that promises that he’s sure to astound us with whatever he does next.  But, for now, what he accomplishes with “Les Misérables” as his first full-length movie shows us what great foreign-language films do, which is to provide audiences with an idea of what current society is like in a country beyond our own.

Grade: A