La Haine

Essentially a series of vignettes depicting the aftermath of a riot in a poor housing project in France, this follows three youth over the course of 24 hours. Surprisingly, considering the central characters’ cultural backgrounds, the film doesn’t really explore any racial tensions within the community, preferring to focus on the marginalisation of the people who live in these districts and the tension and distrust that exists between them and the police force. Given the film takes place after a riot, the filmmakers create a tense atmosphere throughout, with a number of confrontations suggesting that violence could break out any minute. This is underscored by three strong central performances, especially a young Vincent Cassel and there is a volatility and barely restrained anger that shines through his performance that helps to build the tension. The film is beautifully shot in black and white that helps to sell the realism it is striving to achieve and given the film was made nearly 20 years ago, it remains as relevant today as it was then, perhaps even more so.

It’s made beautifully and gets a lot of credit for that. The black and white sets the tone perfectly, the camerawork is top notch and the acting is great and realistic too. Still, I’m not crazy about the overall story. It has a lot going for it, but honestly, it’s just not a classic for me.