Les Misérables

Les Misérables (2019) is a French crime thriller directed by Ladj Ly — watch online on iFILM. The setting is Montfermeil, the same Paris suburb Victor Hugo chose for his novel. Two centuries later the name fits just as well.

Stéphane is a transfer cop, fresh into the Anti-Crime Squad of Seine-Saint-Denis. His new partners Chris and Gwada know exactly how things get done on these streets. Damien Bonnard, Alexis Manenti and Djebril Zonga play the three officers whose botched arrest — caught on a drone camera — sets the entire neighbourhood on a countdown. No clean heroes here. Everyone carries a grievance, and the footage makes sure nobody can pretend otherwise.

Ladj Ly built the feature out of a short documentary he had already shot in Montfermeil — he knew these blocks before the cameras. The film won the Jury Prize at Cannes 2019 and earned France's submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film. Stream Les Misérables online on iFILM.