Matthieu Kassowitz’s *La Haine* (Hate) offers a look at what happens when young people feel shut out and angry, set in public housing outside of Paris. Prior to its release, many viewers internationally—and even some within France—were familiar only with the image of a well-dressed, white, reserved, and educated France seen in films from the 1960s New Wave. A lot of French people hadn’t been aware of the darker realities within their own society because no movie had previously addressed this subject. *La Haine* made a big impact. Though filmed in 1995, it remains relevant today, as riots continue to appear in the news. The film centers on one day in the lives of three young men from different ethnic backgrounds who grew up together in a housing project: Vinz (Vincent Cassell), who is aggressive; Saïd (Saïd Taghmaoui), who is insecure and acts like a clown; and Hubert (Hubert Koundé), who seems calmer and more thoughtful. The story begins on a spring morning, after a riot has shaken the youths’ housing project. There's damage to cars and buildings, and news reports indicate that a police officer lost their weapon during the previous night's disorder. Over this 24-hour period leading up to the film’s startling conclusion, these three young men move through the complicated environment of their housing project—showing both hardship and loving families—and try to collect money owed to them by venturing into downtown Paris, which feels like a foreign place to them (wealthy, educated, white). This movie isn't just important for showing audiences a side of France they hadn’t seen before; it's also quite engaging. The performances from these actors who don't have much experience are entirely believable, especially Vincent Cassell's work. Kassowitz moves away from French filmmaking traditions and instead creates the film using influences from American cinema. However, the “urban,” “hip-hop” style he uses doesn’t make it feel like shallow Hollywood movies; it’s on par with the works of Spike Lee and Scorsese. The director’s choice to shoot the movie in black and white gives it a seriousness that makes it seem timeless. Still, even though the acting is good and the film provides a detailed look at this community, I find the plot itself fairly ordinary, which stops me from rating it higher.

Source on TMDB