JEAN VALJEAN
Premier English Canada
De / from :
Éric Besnard
Avec / with :
Grégory Gadebois, Bernard Campan, Isabelle Carré, Alexandra Lamy, Dominique Pinon, Albert Dupontel
Durée en minutes / Runtime :
98
Genre :
Historical drama / Advisory content: General – Not recommended to young children (RCQ)
Langue / Language :
French with English Subtitles
Pays / Country :
France
Au Cinéma le / in theaters :
Sunday, November 8, 2026 at 2:30 pm
Date de sortie / Release date :
Theatrical release December 25, 2025 (Quebec)
Jean Valjean is released from prison after nineteen years of hard labor, violence, and suffering. Filled with anger and a deep sense of injustice, he has become a dangerous man who trusts no one and nothing. When he arrives in a small village in Provence, he is repeatedly turned away. Desperate, he unknowingly finds refuge at the house of Bishop Bienvenu, who lives simply, with his sister and a single servant. There, he is surprised by their warm welcome, and his inner demons start to waver. But the temptation to be what society sees in him still haunts him, and he steals the Bishop’s silverware. When the police ultimately catches him, the Bishop forgives him and gifts him the candlesticks. This act becomes the starting point of Jean Valjean’ transformation into a new man who reclaims his humanity.
Unifrance
- “Stripped down yet intense.” Ouest France
- “Grégory Gadebois delivers a subtle performance in this moving film.” – 20 Minutes
- “Eric Besnard’s film is a pleasant surprise, precisely because of what defines it: its commitment to modesty.” – Le Monde
- “Besnard builds his entire film around the encounter between Valjean, a stray dog in the rain freshly out of the penal colony, and the one man who deigns to reach out to him.” – Le Soleil
2026 AF French Film Festival (Australia) – Australian premiere screening
No award or nomination announced to date