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A film as a warning to politicians

16.6.2020

Translation: machine translated

"Les Misérables" by director Ladj Ly is a fictionalised depiction of the reality of Parisian suburbs. It is about violence, discrimination and inequality of opportunity. The film makes it clear that there is no simple good and evil here.

It's the football World Cup. France is celebrating. The streets are lined with people and flags. Blue, white and red dominate - the national colours of France. The team is cheered on again and again with "Allez, les Bleus". Everyone is the same. Everyone is pursuing the same goal. Everyone is cheerful.

This ends after the opening scene.

Everyday life in the Parisian suburb of Montfermeil is characterised by discord. On one side is the police, on the other the multicultural population. Gwada (Djibril Zonga) and Chris (Alexis Manenti) have been patrolling the streets of the city for quite some time, while Stéphane (Damien Bonnard) has just been transferred and is experiencing his first day in the back of the Equipe's Peugeot. He soon realises that his two colleagues rarely act by the book. Chris' character in particular is characterised by moral decay.

The arbitrary checks often affect the children and young people of Montfermeil in particular. On the one hand, the focus is on the shrewd Issa (Issa Perica), who repeatedly commits petty offences and gets caught in the crossfire of the police. On the other is the quiet Buzz (Al-Hassan Ly, son of the director), who loves to fly his drone past the windows of the pretty girls in the neighbourhood. Until he happens to film a scene whose content harbours explosive potential for both the police and the residents.

Victor Hugo as inspiration

It is no coincidence that "Les Misérables", the film, is named after the novel "Les Misérables" from 1862, written by French author Victor Hugo. Both stories are set in Montfermeil and both centre on the failure of social policy. Although the town has changed since Hugo's novel, the problems have remained the same. Montfermeil is an eyesore of the "Grande Nation". The people are left to their own devices, politicians close their eyes and turn a blind eye to the difficulties. It's easier to take care of places that look good on a postcard.

The children grow up without prospects, but with all the more mistrust of the state and authority. French society doesn't care about them, so why should they care about socially constructed rules and norms?

So the microcosm of Montfermeil is characterised by conflicts of interest. Everyone has their own agenda and fights for a better life in the form of survival: Advice is sought from the kebab seller, Islamic convert and ex-criminal Salah (Almamy Kanoute). The mayor (Steve Tientcheu) is also a gangster who would like to get the police out of the way. And the Muslim Brotherhood is trying to run the neighbourhood spiritually according to its own rules.

People and their emotions are complicated

The only thing that unites them is their anger at the lethargy of the state. Anger at daily discrimination by the police. Anger at being left in the lurch. Anger is the central emotion in the film anyway. Gwada and Chris use it to clean up, crack down and gain respect. The young people use it as a motor to rebel against the authorities, especially the police. Violence is the order of the day - on both sides.

This complexity is what makes the film so worth seeing. The protagonists are not portrayed in just one light, there is no black and white thinking, no clear good and evil. The characters are portrayed as they are in reality: multi-layered. As viewers, we sympathise with - and dislike - all of them. In the end, although we tend to favour one side of the conflict, we do not unconditionally detest the other: we sympathise because director Ly lets us see behind the veil of anger. For example, when the policeman Gwada goes home in the evening. His mother is preparing dinner in the kitchen. He kisses her gently on the cheek as a greeting. She wants to talk about his day. He doesn't - and bursts into tears instead.

It would have been easy to simplify this narrative of police and oppressed society. Depending on your political views, the population is portrayed as a brutal mob or the entire police force as a horde of racists. People tend to make such quick and radical categorisations. It is exhausting to rethink our own thought patterns. After all, thought patterns are cognitive habits and habits fulfil an unburdening function for the brain. This is important in many cases, but also risky, as we do not scrutinise facts and thus do not develop our thinking. Confucius already knew: "Learning without thinking is vain; thinking without learning is dangerous." People and their motives are complex. Anger is not primarily an expression of malice, but often of powerlessness and frustration.

Dialogue as a combination of anger and understanding

The police officer Stéphane understands this. His world view is not yet as entrenched as that of his two colleagues. He takes an objective view of the situation and acts as a mediator between the two worlds. He takes the residents seriously, does not prejudge them and denounces the methods of his own colleagues. He paves the way for dialogue. This is another reason why the film does not leave a feeling of complete hopelessness. On the contrary: the complexity of the characters and topics creates understanding.

And the film is damn good at that. It makes the people and their fates accessible to us viewers. Even the crude Chris, who throws around sexist and racist remarks, is given humanity through an insight into his family life. We are all driven by the same emotions, desires and needs. Nevertheless, as a society and as individuals, we tend to define ourselves by our differences.

As viewers, we realise that anger serves to draw attention to grievances. Solidarity to overcome them.

A pointer to politics

The film is so authentic, so close to the people that it almost has the feel of a documentary. In film terms, this feeling is evoked by the use of a hand-held camera. Thematically, it is inspired by the French riots of 2005.

Director Ladj Ly grew up in Montfermeil himself and experienced the riots at first hand. This personal involvement of him and the actors, who are also mainly from Montfermeil, strengthens the film in its intensity and authenticity. Every emotion comes across.

Despite highlighting opportunities for dialogue, the film is also a warning to politics and business. If nothing is done to improve the situation of the people, the next uprising is not far away. Then the rebellion against all forms of authority and the mistrust of the state will continue and erupt again and again. Not just in the French banlieus, but everywhere where oppression and inequality of opportunity prevail. Then a united society, as in the opening scene, remains a utopia. The end of the film makes this clear once again:

Remember, friends! There are neither weeds nor bad people. There are only bad gardeners.

Victor Hugo, «Les Misérables»

Header image: Filmcoopi

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Carolin Teufelberger

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carolin.teufelberger@digitecgalaxus.ch

My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.

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