The movie Dakota Johnson wants everyone to watch: “One of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen”
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for Dakota Johnson. In fact, the star seems to have a knack for picking bad projects. She starred as Anastasia Steele in all three of the ‘Fifty Shades’ adaptations, which were just as unartistic and rotten as their source materials. Then there’s the big one – Madame Web. One of the greatest ‘bad films’ of modern times, Johnson will be living this one down for decades to come.
The Razzie winner has had her fair share of winners, though. She has a small role in David Fincher’s The Social Network as the woman Justin Timberlake’s character is with when we first meet him. Her performance as a young mother in Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter was met with near-universal acclaim, and she’s currently turning heads in Celine Song’s sophomore effort, Materialists.
A career in the movie industry was always on the cards for Johnson. She’s the daughter of Miami Vice star Don Johnson and Academy Award-nominated actor Melanie Griffith, herself the daughter of The Birds star Tippi Hedren. Following her parents’ divorce, her mother would go on to tie the knot with Antonio Banderas, adding yet another superstar to the family dynamic. Johnson’s DNA is riddled with cinematic greatness, so when she talks about films, you’d better listen.
During an interview with Glamour, Johnson was asked for her opinion on a number of topics, including what readers should move to the top of their watchlists. Alongside TV shows Normal People, The Great, and My Brilliant, she also had a movie recommendation. “There’s a new Les Misérables directed by Ladj Ly that I love so much,” she revealed. “I think it’s one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen.”
Despite the name, this 2019 film has very little to do with the Victor Hugo novel of the same name, nor the famous stage musical it inspired. Set in the Paris commune of Montfermeil, the story follows Stéphane (Damien Bonnard), a member of the anti-crime brigade. He and his team investigate a disturbance during France’s celebrations following their victory in the FIFA World Cup, which exposes the issues the area’s low-income residents face every day. The movie earned its name because Montfermeil plays a key role in Hugo’s narrative. It is where hero Jean Valjean first meets Cosette, the daughter of Fantine and his eventual ward. It is also the location of the inn belonging to Monsieur and Madame Thénardiers, as depicted in the song ‘Master of the House’.
Born to Malian parents, Ly himself grew up in Montfermeil. This is where he cut his teeth as a filmmaker, making short documentaries with his friends. Ly is perfectly placed to make comments on the plight of working-class immigrants in the French capital, which is the major theme of his debut film. He followed it up in 2023 with the similarly titled Les Indésirables, which follows many of the same lines of inquiry and was even made with much of the same crew.
This is a great pick from Johnson, one that far fewer people might have come across if she had spotlighted it. At least this movie called Les Misérables doesn’t feature anybody singing live on-set. Ly clearly learned that lesson from Tom Hooper’s version.
