Anne Taylor Robertson Blog 6: Les Miserables

I saw the film Les Miserables, with Liam Neeson, a few months ago and have been intrigued by this story since. I tried to read the book, by Victor Hugo, over Christmas break but it is extremely long and I did not have time. While it is a weighty story, it is one that I find to be a fascinating reflection on the human experience. There is life and death, suffering and heartache, and the most mysterious of all, forgiveness. I think forgiveness is something that we are not used to. It is hard to forgive; it is hard to understand what it means to be forgiven. So much of our society is about “getting ahead”, “doing what’s best for you” no matter what the cost is. This is especially true in America. The people in this film were willing to lay down their own agendas to help others even to the most extreme extent, expecting nothing in return. The conflict in this film leaves viewers distraught, and thinking about what forgiveness really means. Any movie where you walk away challenged is a good movie.