REVIEW ROUNDUP: LES MISERABLES AND THE LADY IN THE PORTRAIT

This week’s new releases at the Irish Film Institute on Friday September 4th 2020 are Les Misérables and The Lady In The Portrait.

Read on for a selection of reviews or pop in to make up your own mind!

LES MISERABLES

“Les Misérables: better than La Haine, more incendiary than Do the Right Thing. A wild and electrifying modern French drama.”
5/5 – Irish Times

“Like the original Hugo novel, “Les Misérables” is both culturally relevant and dramatically compelling, finding a way to balance artistic metaphor, hugely involving storytelling and criticism of a system that allows crushing poverty to survive and prosper.”
Los Angeles Times

“Ly imbues the film with a palpable sense of time and place, never at the expense of tension and excitement.”
4/5 – Empire

“Ly shows command of staging and shooting throughout, simulating documentary form while maintaining a tight grip on narrative coherence.”
The New York Times

THE LADY IN THE PORTRAIT

“Exquisitely-costumed and voluptuously shot, the film evokes life in the Qing Dynasty court with studied elegance and rare intimacy.”
Variety