is not an easy film to watch. Raw, in its presentation of a broken society, it does not dress up its themes with the frill of a cinematic lens. As a French film, do not expect a fatalistic romantic veneer drafted by a poetic hand about the injustices of the world - the hand that created this film is instead one that knows what hard labour is, holding no punches as it batters the audience with rage - and clearly the audience loves it.
The film was inspired by France’s 2005 riots when marginalised urban youth rose up against unemployment and police violence after the death of two youths who hid from police interrogation. In this version, an anti-crime brigade finds themselves overwhelmed by rising resentment after an arrest goes horribly wrong, fuelling boiling tensions.
The director of the film - Ladj Ly - was born in Mali before his family relocated them to France. His previous repertoire includes documentary filmmaking, and that’s the core style of his first feature. The characters and societal tensions of the film is clearly written from lived experiences, and that raw energy can make you very uncomfortable - especially from the perspective of privilege.
It also explores the nihilistic worldview of a police force that has lost sight of what they’re supposed to be doing. One of them is still trying to ensure fairness is meted out to all, driven by a compassion for those he tries to protect, but in the face of his colleagues’ wilful neglect of their duties, he himself loses hope in a system never really designed to help the poor. Resentment brews on both sides, and it only takes one misdeed too many to tip the scale into chaos.
As for the performance, the director has a strong, guiding hand on the cast, stoking a universal hatred in their performance that reaches its climax when the youth have had enough of the inaction of their elders.
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Les Misérables rings bells for SA scenarioLy was inspired by the 2005 urban riots which saw the death of two young boys who were hiding out from violent police officers. | ThangoSays
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Les Misérables rings bells for SA scenarioLy was inspired by the 2005 urban riots which saw the death of two young boys who were hiding out from violent police officers. | ThangoSays
Source: SowetanLIVE - 🏆 13. / 63 Read more »
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