Four years after his sensational entry into the world of cinema, Ladj Ly, director of Les Misérables, finally unveils his second film as a filmmaker, Bâtiment 5, a new feature focusing on housing estates. The film is due in cinemas on December 6.
And for this new social thriller, Ladj Ly calls on Alexis Manenti, already present in Les Misérables, as well as Anta Diaw, Jeanne Balibar and Steve Tientcheu. Ladj Ly's first film, Les Misérables, won the César for Best Film, the Prix du Jury at the Cannes Film Festival, and was nominated for anOscar for Best Foreign Film.
Haby, a young woman deeply involved in the life of her community, discovers the new redevelopment plan for the area where she grew up. Conducted on the sly by Pierre Forges, a young pediatrician who has been promoted to mayor, the plan calls for the demolition of the building where Haby grew up. Haby and her family set out to prevent the demolition of Building 5 by fighting the municipality and its grand ambitions.
Our verdict
Les Misérables had left a lasting impression, and Ladj Ly was inevitably eagerly awaited, and his new film will be received in the same light as the first. All the more so as Bâtiment 5 incorporates many of the themes already present in Les Misérables: tense life on housing estates and police violence in particular.
By following the daily life of a mayor and that of his fiercest opponent, this film is much more frontally political, showing the struggle of those who want to speak out when everyone around them is doing everything to silence them. Ladj Ly presents a political battle over a soon-to-be-destroyed building, which gives the film its title.
The film lacks subtlety and sometimes misses the mark by trying to pull out all the stops. The film lacks subtlety, and sometimes misses the mark by trying too hard to be a hard-hitting film, but there's a terrific eviction scene, the film's emotional climax, which is impressively staged.
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