The movie Germinal is an adaptation of the novel written by Émile Zola, published in 1885. The story is set in the late 1860s, in Montsou, a small mining town in northern France. The town is owned by the wealthy mining company, Voreux, and the miners work long hours in dangerous conditions for low wages.
The main character, Étienne Lantier (played by Renaud), is a young idealistic miner who arrives in Montsou looking for work. He becomes friends with a group of fellow miners and, together, they organize a strike demanding better working conditions and higher pay.
The strike becomes violent, as the authorities, backed by the company's security forces, try to break it up. The miners' families suffer from hunger and illness, and tensions rise among the group. Étienne becomes a leader of the strike and is later joined by a Reverend, Pastor Deneulin, (played by Jean Carmet) who becomes an active supporter.
As the strike continues, the company hires replacement workers, known as "scabs," to keep the mines running. The striking miners try to persuade the scabs to join their cause, but their efforts are met with hostility and violence.
The story takes a tragic turn when the authorities attempt to quell the strike with brute force. The miners are beaten and arrested, and some are even killed, including Étienne’s friend, Maheu.
In the end, the strike is broken, the miners return to work under the same oppressive conditions, and Étienne is forced to leave town. The movie ends with Étienne walking along a railway track, heading towards a new life.
Germinal is a powerful and thought-provoking movie that portrays the harsh realities of life in a coal mining community during the 19th century. It shows how the poor and working-class communities were exploited by the rich and powerful, and how the struggle for social justice often led to violence and tragedy.