Another nominee for the Academy award is released in Minsk. Les Miserables is a Crime film about everyday life of police officers, where the truth is best seen from a drone. The extremely topical and uncompromising French film will be shown from January 23 to February 5 at the Pioner, and on February 12 at the Falcon Club Cinema Boutique and VOKA CINEMA by Silver Screen. On January 30, a special screening will be held within the project Hall № 4 with Igor Sukmanov, film critic and Program Director of the MIFF Listapad.
In France’s infamous Montfermeil, haven for migrants, criminals, aggressive teenagers and corrupt police officers a fragile peace seems to have been established with incredible effort. But during the holiday dedicated to the victory of France in the World Cup, a black boy Issa steals a lion cub in a local gypsy circus. And this event can lead to disastrous consequences…
Les Misérables is a full-length feature directorial debut of Ladj Ly, based upon the 2017 short film of the same name by Ly. The Director has created a film inspired by the memories of a life in Montfermeil and Mathieu Kassovitz’s La haine. The feature film Les Miserables participated in two dozen film festivals. Among them is the Cannes Film Festival, where the film was awarded the Jury Prize and nominated for the Palme d’Or and Golden Camera. The Crime drama also received an award from the European Film Academy and was nominated for an Oscar (Best Foreign Language Film).
“We tried to make it sound and therefore cooperated with the police throughout the entire production period. When the script was ready, we showed it to our police officer so that he could make edits, listened to his advice. But we didn’t try to make the film overall documentary, so we took our chance to express our ideas,” says screenwriter Alexis Manenti, who also plays one of the lead roles in the film.
The Crime drama also starring Damien Bonnard, twice a nominee for the Cesar (Best Supporting Actor, Most Promising Actor). The Minsk audience know him from the film Kuriosa, released in Listapad. Collections in 2019.
“Ladj Ly wields the camera like a scalpel,” writes Kinoafisha. “Ladj Ly’s film is important, bright and glowing, as well as multilayered,” writes Les Cahiers Du Cinéma. Le Monde notes: “Les Miserables stands at the meeting point between Victor Hugo and Spike Lee, whose flow sparks dazzling.” “The last half-hour is the most incredible and certainly the most controversial. It is a demonstration of the power of cinema,” concludes PREMIERE.