Les Misérables

Set in 19th-century France, this adaptation follows Jean Valjean, a former prisoner who breaks parole and tries to rebuild his life while a relentless inspector named Javert pursues him across years. Valjean's efforts to protect the vulnerable intersect with Fantine, a factory worker whose decline forces him into painful decisions, and with Cosette, a child he takes under his care. As the characters' paths cross, political unrest among students and the wider social injustices of the era press in, raising the stakes for personal redemption and moral choice without revealing how their stories resolve.

Released in 2012 and directed by Tom Hooper, the film adapts Victor Hugo's novel through the lens of the stage musical, with a screenplay by William Nicholson. The cast includes Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Sacha Baron Cohen, translating the theatrical score to a cinematic setting.

Anne Hathaway won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Fantine. The film also picked up multiple other Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and received attention for its technical achievements in sound and makeup.

Hathaway's take on I Dreamed a Dream became a widely shared moment, sparking renewed interest in the musical and countless covers and parodies. The barricade sequences and Valjean's moral confrontations stayed with audiences, and the movie helped introduce the stage score to people who hadn't seen the theater production.

Critics and audiences tended to praise the performances, especially Jackman and Hathaway, along with the production design and orchestral arrangements, while some viewers had mixed reactions to the film's staging and directorial choices. With a user vote average around 7.3 out of 10, the movie resonates most where it deals with justice, redemption, sacrifice and the human cost of social inequality.