“Life has killed the dream I dreamed of,” Fantine screamed as she felt that her entire being had died. Les Miserables is a film adapted from the novel by Victor Hugo that shows the struggles of the French people in life. Les Misérables happened between the late 1700s and early 1800s in France. During this time, social injustice was a common case among the people. An example of this is the unequal treatment of women to men. Women were treated as objects and expected to be somewhat good followers or else the right to live a life in peace was imposed on them. That is why this review will focus on Fantine, who symbolizes the women who were and are continually being judged and degraded.
Les Miserables begins with a scene in which the prisoners are transporting a ship, and one of them is Jean Valjean. He escapes from Javert, who was in charge of his probation, and decided to start over with the help of Bishop Myriel. After a while, he became mayor of a city. On the other hand, Fantine, a factory girl, was fired from her job after the revelation of her secret: that she has a son. He entered a life of prostitution; Valjean saved her from going to jail and promised, before he died, that he would take care of Cosette; and so he took Cosette from the Thenardiers, where Cosette was staying. Years passed and a love triangle blooms between Cosette, Marius and Eponine. Meanwhile, the Friends of the ABC start a rebellion and build a barricade with Valjean and Gavroche, a young man on the streets of Paris, on their side. Marius also helps the group, but he is not one of them. Gavroche dies as well as the members of the group, while Marius survives with the help of Valjean. Javert, on the other hand, commits suicide. Valjean hid in a convent; Marius and Cosette came to him after their marriage. They knew of his whereabouts from the Thenardiers. In the end of it all, Valjean finally received peace. The movie ends with all the people who died singing a song. Now that the summary of the film is finished, let’s move on to the focus of this review: Fantine, a symbol of the women who were and are continually being judged and degraded.
Fantine is a single mother who works in a factory so she can send money to Cosette. Everything goes crazy when her secret is revealed, that she has a son without being married. She was fired from her job for that, as having children and not being married was totally unacceptable during that time. People looked at her differently and perceived her as a whore. Fantine was degraded by the society she found herself in because her situation was so scandalous. The value of women is taken for granted. They treat them like toys, they manipulate them. One wrong move from them and society will automatically judge your whole being. Fantine was deprived of the opportunity to lead a normal life; she was continually being shaken, being used by different men. Her value as a woman was long gone. Women should not be treated like chewing gum on the sidewalk; no one should step on them. Women and men should have the same rights; women should not be ignored in society. We all have our own worth and everyone has their own right to live a life free from drama and free from the pains that society may throw at us.
All in all, the movie was very well done! Each of the actors played their roles very well and knew how to do justice to the personality and feelings of the characters they play. The setting of the movie is also really good, because it gives the right feel to the audience. I feel like I really knew what happened and the stage helped me open my eyes and see things on a larger scale. It helped me see history in a way where reality seemed too surreal because I didn’t expect France to have such a background. Also, it was really cool and I loved every moment.