Ladj Ly and his team, present at the preview of “Bâtiment 5” in Marseille

The director of “Les Misérables”, Ladj Ly, returns with a second feature film “Bâtiment 5”, on December 6. Its preview screening at the Variétés cinema in Marseille made a strong impression.

“We can recognize certain situations“, says a spectator at the end of the screening of Building 5, at the Les Variétés cinema in Marseille. Director Ladj Ly returns with a new feature film, the second part of his trilogy, which once again aims to speak the truth about working-class neighborhoods.

With its 2 million spectators in theaters, Wretched (2019), multi-awarded at the Césars, told a police blunder and the abandonment of disadvantaged neighborhoods by the State. This time, Ladj Ly is tackling another facet of social poverty: the housing crisis.

Building 5, scheduled for release on December 6, traces the journey of Haby, a young woman from the Parisian suburbs. Very involved in the community life of her city, she became an important political figure in the neighborhood. When she discovers that the mayor (Alexis Manenti) plans to demolish the building in which she grew up, Haby enters into a standoff with the municipality. Its objective is simple: to prevent the destruction of Building 5.

A personal story that repeats itself

For the 45-year-old director, who was inspired by his own childhood in the cities of Clichy-Montfermeil for the film, the housing crisis is a story that repeats itself: “I grew up in building 5, it’s a fairly personal story, I was rehoused, it’s something that marked all of us in the neighborhood. And we realize with our tour, in all the cities of France, Lille, Lyon, Roubaix or Marseille, these are the same problems.“

This character of Haby is played by a non-professional actress: “I’m not like her, I don’t have her courage, her determination, so the question was: am I going to be able to play a role like that of Haby and convey the emotions that I what did I feel when reading the script? I tried to find points in common with her to understand why she acted in this or that way, why these struggles were important to her. heart“, explains the actress Anta Diaw.

The third part of the saga, described as “more explosive”, is currently being written, but does not yet have a release date.