Les Miserables is about Jean Valjean, known as Prisoner 24601, who is released from prison and breaks his parole after a 19-year sentence of brutal hard labor just for stealing a piece of bread. His experience with a humble bishop changes his life, and he assumes a new identity and starts a new life . Years later, he runs a factory and became the benevolent mayor of a town. Sadly, the one man who could shatter Valjean’s new life, police inspector Javert is sent to serve the very town where Valjean has made a life for himself.
Meanwhile, a factory worker named Fantine is thrown out on the streets despite the fact that she needs money to send to the people who care for her young daughter Cosette. When Valjean comes across Fauntine in a collision in the street, she is destitute and dying. Valjean makes a solemn promise to care for little Cosette. Valjean’s life takes on new purpose and meaning because of the coming of Cossete to his life, but Javert closes in and threatens to destroy everything.
Later on the story leads to a love triangle between Cosette, Marius who is a student of the revolutionary, and Eponine, a girl of the streets and the daughter of Cosette’s innkeeper. The story shows how hard it is back in France in the late 19th century, it also portrays inequality depending on a person’s status in the society and reveals true to life miseries, sacrifices and injustices that the people have experienced back then. What I like the most in the movie is how Valjean overcome the hardships that he had been encountered through the years and how he stands up and start a new beginning.
I also like the scene wherein Valjean made a promise to Fantine that he will take care Cosette, I have felt the sincerity of Valjean’s face when he is making his promise. The scenes where Valjean helps others without waiting for something in return also catches my attention, for example the man that has been stocked under a caariage and when he saves the life of Maurice when he was dying due to a shot of bullet in the barricade, he was a very remarkable man with a kind-hearted heart. Despite of all the struggles he was able to manage every demand and instead of giving up he was able to come up with a stronger character.
I admire every character in the story because they portrays well and absolutely gives emotions in delivering their lines, as a viewer I feel the genuineness of every character. Moreover, the movie shows how a man could have such a strong faith to God, which was portrayed by Valjean. Contrariwise, I hate the scene in the barricade wherein people were killed by tha army heartlessly, it is understood that the people in the barricade only wants to have a freedom, or should I say to experience equal rights.
I think that If only the government just give them a chance to explain their side the killing could have been avoided. When the little boy was shot I feel really shocked because he was very young and shouldn’t be involved in such violence like that , he should be playing with the other children in his age and not be involved in the revolutionary group. In general, it is a very beautiful story packed with excitement. After the end of every scene I always try to think what would happen to the characters as they ventured into new frontiers.
This is a kind of story that opens my eyes about the reality in the society I belong where there are lots of injustices and discriminations. We should also not let pass any judgement over anybody without totally knowing their story because that person might have a golden heart hidden within. Finally, we should put in mind that if there is life, there is hope, don’t let our past hinder us from being happy and no matter how messy our past had come, we could still make amends to it and make our lives better.
