How I Discovered: Les Misérables

I have only cried in a few movies, and Les Misérables is one of them.
There is no classic Broadway show with as good music, plot, and characters as Les Misérables.
I have loved few things as much as I love Les Misérables.

I first saw the 2012 film adaptation of Les Mis with a group of friends during the "canceled" spring break days last year. I had heard about it once or twice maybe but had never really had an interest in seeing it. Having said that, I will never forget that day. I had perhaps not been completely sold on the "operatic musical" concept (that is, a musical in which everything is sung), but the passion and intensity brought out by the actors was more than enough for me to hang onto every word. Even Russell Crowe, by far the worst singer in the cast, I considered irreplaceable in the context of the film.
The show became the source of jokes, songs that would stay stuck in my head for days, and spontaneous singalongs with any number of my friends- including those who hadn't even been there the day when I had first watched it. That in itself speaks to the beauty of Les Mis: it's accessible to anyone.
Since that day in spring 2015, I've watched the film maybe six times, listened to various versions of the soundtrack more times than I could possibly count, sung some of the songs in front of my chorus class, and even seen the live show in New York.
I could write endlessly about what exactly Les Misérables means to me, but at least now you know how I discovered it.