The Director of Les Miserables answers critics

"....and to me the great theme of the film is what we will sacrifice for love, what we will do for love. You have Fantine, who’s willing to lose everything, her body, her life, to try to save her child. You’ve got Valjean, who changes everything for love. You’ve got Eponine, who actually sacrifices herself physically for love. It makes it resonate with the beauty of what people will do in the name of love."

This quote from Tom Hooper comes from an IndieWire interview with Jay Fernandez in which Hooper explains many of his directorial choices in Les Miserables - some of which have the critics chirping but most audiences cheering (as far as I can see!).  Take a look inside Hooper's head here

and take a look at Samantha Barks as Eponine singing On My Own here.