A trailer has been released for “Les Indésirables.” I saw it last night. Fairly convoluted affair. Tonally messy. A disappointment.
Ladj Ly turned some heads with his 2019 feature debut, “Les Misérables” — it won the Jury Prize at Cannes, got Oscar-nominated for Best International Film and became a box office hit in France.
We all thought his sophomore effort, “Les Indésirables”, would surely go to Venice, it had been rumoured for months, but the Toronto International Film Festival nabbed the world premiere instead.
Ly wrapped production on “Les Indésirables” in early March, he tried very hard to have a speedy post-production to submit it for May’s 76th Cannes, alas, it wasn’t completed on time. Then we figured Venice would snatch it up, but they clearly haven’t. Did they reject it?
“Les Indésirables” stars Alexis Manenti, Jeanne Balibar, Steve Tientcheu, Anta Diaw, and Aristote Luyindula. It is supposed to be released on November 22nd in France. Here’s the synopsis:
“After the sudden death of a town’s mayor, Pierre (Manenti), an idealistic young doctor, is appointed to replace him. He intends to continue the policy of his predecessor, who dreamed of rehabilitating the working-class neighbourhood. Haby (Diaw), a young French woman of Malian origin living in one of the dilapidated tower blocks, refuses to see her family driven out of the neighborhood where she grew up.”
There are some powerful moments in this film — a lot of smart ideas about adequate housing, living conditions, and poor neighborhoods, but it never truly comes together.