Character Relationship Map: Les Misérables

Characters

• Stéphane (played by Damien Bonnard) — protagonist

  A newly assigned police officer in the anti-crime brigade who serves as the moral center of the squad. He struggles with his colleagues' abuse of power and attempts to navigate the ethical dilemmas of...

• Chris (played by Alexis Manenti) — protagonist

  Squad leader known for aggressively abusing his power on young residents. He orchestrates the pursuit of the stolen lion cub and the drone owner, consistently prioritizing police authority over due pr...

• Gwada (played by Djebril Zonga) — supporting

  Brigadier and Chris's accomplice who complies with and escalates police abuse. He accidentally tear-gases himself during a chase but intentionally shoots the fleeing Issa in the face with a flash-ball...

• The Mayor (played by Steve Tientcheu) — supporting

  A respected local community leader who mediates between residents and authorities. He faces threats from a circus owner over a stolen lion cub and later becomes a target of police violence during comm...

• Issa (played by Issa Perica) — supporting

  A marginalized juvenile delinquent whose theft of a lion cub sets off a chain of events involving police brutality and community uprising. He suffers severe injuries from a police flash-ball, faces ab...

• Issa's Mother (played by Djeneba Diallo) — minor
• Buzz (played by Al-Hassan Ly) — supporting

  A young local resident who owns a drone and inadvertently films the police brutality against Issa. He hides the evidence, faces police coercion, and ultimately locks himself out of the squad's rescue...

• Salah (played by Almamy Kanoute) — supporting

  A restaurant owner and prominent member of the local Islamic community. He acts as a sanctuary for residents fleeing police harassment and is coerced by the squad into handing over sensitive evidence.

• Zorro (played by Raymond Lopez) — supporting

  The owner of a local circus whose lion cub, Johnny, is stolen by Issa. He threatens the community leader with firearms and later subjects Issa to psychological and physical intimidation to recover the...

• Gwada's Mother (played by Mousba Harb) — cameo

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Gwada's Mother → Gwada (mother)
• Issa's Mother → Issa (mother)
• The Mayor → Issa (Power Community Authority) — The Mayor represents the community in the consequences of Issa's action.

  The Mayor is the local community leader approached during the crisis caused by Issa's theft of the lion cub.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• The Mayor → Chris (Conflict Institutional Opponent) — Their authority intersects during the dispute over Buzz and the evidence.

  The Mayor arrives at Salah's restaurant during the tense confrontation involving Chris's attempt to arrest Buzz, placing local authority against the s...

• Chris → Zorro (Alliance Recovery Collaborator) — Chris's police operation serves Zorro's demand for recovery.

  Chris's squad is tasked with finding the stolen cub and ultimately returns Issa and the cub to the circus.

• Zorro → Issa (Conflict Intimidator) — Zorro uses extreme intimidation to punish Issa and recover the cub.

  Zorro attempts to lock Issa and the cub in a cage with a lion, frightening Issa into wetting himself.

• Zorro → The Mayor (Conflict Threatener) — Zorro pressures the community leader to resolve the theft.

  After Issa steals the lion cub, Zorro goes to the Mayor and threatens to return with firearms if the cub is not recovered.

• Stéphane → Salah (Social Negotiator) — Stéphane uses negotiation rather than direct force to obtain the evidence.

  Stéphane convinces Salah to give him the memory card by claiming that Issa's shooting was an accident.

• Chris → Salah (Conflict Coercer) — The squad pressures Salah during the evidence confrontation.

  At Salah's restaurant, Chris attempts to illegally arrest Buzz, while Stéphane persuades Salah to surrender the memory card.

• Salah → Buzz (Alliance Sanctuary Provider) — Salah protects Buzz from immediate police pursuit.

  Buzz takes shelter with Salah after escaping the squadron, and Salah is described as a local Islamic community member who provides refuge.

• Gwada → Buzz (Conflict Pursuer) — Gwada helps pursue the witness carrying the recording.

  Gwada accompanies Chris and Stéphane while they pursue Buzz after discovering that the drone filmed the shooting.

• Chris → Buzz (Conflict Coercer) — Chris tries to suppress Buzz's recording of police violence.

  Chris's squad searches for Buzz, forces him to flee before uploading the video, and Chris attempts to arrest him illegally at Salah's restaurant.

• Stéphane → Issa (Alliance Reluctant Protector) — Stéphane repeatedly tries to prevent further harm to Issa.

  Stéphane wants to take the badly wounded Issa to a hospital and later warns Issa not to use the Molotov cocktail.

• Chris → Issa (Conflict Abuser) — Chris uses police authority to intimidate Issa.

  Chris's squad chases and handcuffs Issa, later threatens him into concealing the shooting and claiming that he slipped.

• Chris → Gwada (Alliance Accomplice) — Their cooperation enables police misconduct.

  Chris aggressively abuses his power, while Gwada is complacent in that abuse and later helps conceal the shooting of Issa.

Story Analysis

The film traces how police abuse, social abandonment, and suppressed evidence turn a local incident into an unresolved cycle of collective violence.

Plot Progression

1. A City Beneath Celebration — Stéphane joins Chris and Gwada in Montfermeil after the national celebration. Issa's theft of the lion cub creates a crisis involving Zorro and the Mayor.
2. The Flash-Ball Truth — The officers capture Issa, but Gwada shoots him while a drone records the incident. The squad then prioritizes finding the witness and suppressing the evidence.
3. Evidence Under Pressure — Buzz seeks shelter with Salah as the squad and the Mayor converge on the restaurant. Stéphane obtains the memory card, while Issa is returned to the circus and threatened into silence.
4. Guilt Before Retaliation — Issa is left traumatized and isolated after the officers conceal the shooting. Stéphane confronts Gwada, exposing the squad's internal moral fracture before retaliation begins.
5. The Stairwell Has No Exit — Issa leads a neighborhood attack that traps the officers, wounds Chris, destroys backup, and assaults the Mayor. The film ends with Issa and Stéphane facing a deadly choice.