On of my favorite musicals of all time is Les Miserables, based off of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name. I first fell in love with the characters and the music when the musical became a film in 2012, eventually winning three Oscars at the time I started getting into film as an art form.The story centers around a man named Jean Valjean who, after he is released from prison, devotes his life to christ after being shown life-altering kindness by a Bishop. Throughout the unfolding subplots of the film, Jean Valjean holds onto his faith in Christ for support, as do other characters, even the antagonist Inspector Javert. When there is a flash-in-the-pan uprising of students in Paris, Jean Valjean is running for his life away from Javert while trying to protect his adopted daughter, Cosette, who is in love with one of the uprising students, Marius. Throughout this weaving storyline each character puts their trust in God to achieve what they need to survive. As I've re-watched and re-listened to the music, I have become more and more in awe of how the film is a story of Christian life.
One thing this film shows in an interesting way is how everyone believes that they are doing the right thing, and even that someone who is in opposition is not simply "evil." In the Valjean/Javert plot, Jean Valjean is running from the law because he was unjustly imprisoned for twenty years for stealing a loaf of bread and doesn't want to let his life be ruled by an oppressive force. Valjean wants to be a free man, able to show kindness and generosity to those who were in the same positions as him. Inspector Javert is a policeman doing his job, trying to take in a man running from the law, as he believe God would want him to do. Both of these men have just reasons to do what they do, and both believe that God is by their side, which makes their conflict irreconcilable. Just the same with the students and the soldiers sent to destroy the uprising; the students are trying to gain rights for the lower classes and the soldiers are trying to promote peace. This films shows one hard truth that having God on both sides can make some conflicts everlasting, and when one side prevails over another it can make someone question if God is present at all.
However, the film addresses this idea with one heart-gripping line in the final song: "To love another person is to see the face of God." This solidifies what makes God visible to others and how people can know their acts are for Him: Love. The film does not claim that love is an easy action or that it is something that can be given to everyone willingly, but it presents it as the thing that should be at the core of every Christian life, love for man and God. The lives of the film's characters are far from simple and far from happy (the film title literally translates to "The Miserable Ones"), but each character who acts through genuine love is shown to be rewarded with a life in heaven.
To me, this is a powerful depiction of how to live a Christian life. Even though every character was downtrodden and tired and, at times, hopeless, they acted with love and put their hope in God. They showed they audience that a life with Christ is not meant to be easy and without troubles, but a life spend putting Him first will result in a life of peace and happiness in the end.
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