Misery at its best

Manila Standard Today, Lifestyle | January 29, 2013

Say what you want about Anne Hathaway, but you can’t deny that she is a great actress. Her award-winning (and Oscar-nominated) performance of the ill-fated Fantine in the film adaptation of Les Miserables sent shivers down my spine. Every time she was onscreen, she owned it. Her rousing rendition of one of the most memorable songs in the musical, “I Dreamed a Dream,” was angelic, as much as it was dark and desperate, intelligently capturing the essence of the character she was portraying.

And that’s just one of the many incredibly powerful moments of the film. Les Miserables is a musical film for musical fans and nonbelievers of the “sung-through” style alike. It will leave both types of audiences with conflicting emotions and renewed/newfound appreciation for the genre. It’s the kind of film that refuses to let the audience rest—there’s a specific feeling in every song, scene and sequence.

The closeups are the most heart-wrenching: the tears falling from the characters’ eyes at the exact second that they are required; the palpable sound of misery with their sighs and when their voices break, mid-song; and the crescendos of every solo “this is my moment” moment.

Hugh Jackman was solid as Jean Valjean, the central character. I loved the nuances in his singing voice, which seemed to mature and age as the movie progressed. Russell Crowe as the menacing Javert was convincing, although I understand why some may think that his vocals aren’t up to par with the rest of the cast. But I guess it makes sense that he was rough around the edges, as his character wasn’t really a beacon of perfection.

The lighter parts of the film, also known as the Sacha Baron Cohen/Helena Bonham Carter (monsieur and madame Thenardier) scenes, were executed with just the right amount of humor for much-needed reprieve. It was such a delight seeing those two play off each other’s energy without taking away from the serious subject matter of the script.

Meanwhile, I sensed some pop sensibilities in Samantha Barks’ version of Eponine’s trademark song, “On My Own.” I didn’t hate it but it wasn’t my favorite performance. Her dying scene (“A Little Fall of Rain”), on the other hand, was incredibly devastating.

I also wasn’t particularly sold on Amanda Seyfried’s Cosette because the way the actress portrayed the role was too similar to her character in Mamma Mia! But the adorable child actress Isabelle Allen made up for it, who probably gave the purest, most vulnerable performance as the young Cosette. There was no holding back the tears for me as she was singing “Castle on a Cloud” to her rag doll.

All those emotions were just too much that, during the final two minutes of the 158-minute film, as all the deceased characters reappeared to sing the reprise of “Do You Hear the People Sing,” everyone, myself included, in the theater was crying, immersed in the emotional release of it all.

The point is, if you haven’t seen Les Miserables, go see it now. You simply have to, even if you’re a Hathaway hater.