Nearly 30 years after 'La Haine' shocked audiences with its portrayal of police brutality and violence in France's suburbs, director Mathieu Kassovitz is reviving the story as a stage musical. Watching nearly 30 years ago, there was a sense of something inexorable about violence in the French suburbs. French director Mathieu Kassovitz’s critically acclaimed black-and-white film opens with video images of news footage of urban riots.
The film then follows three friends — Hubert, Vinz and Saïd — over the course of 24 hours in a world of police brutality. It ends with the killing of one of the young men by a police officer. The film served as a revelation about the grim reality of life in what the French call the “banlieue” - the deprived suburbs with housing projects - and took the 1995 by storm.
Kassovitz won the best director award, and achieved cult status in France and around the world. Now, Kassovitz and theatre director Serge Denoncourt are breathing new life into the story by adapting it into a stage musical, premiering in Paris in October. The message of the film remains as relevant as ever with the tragic 2023 police shooting of Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old of North African descent which sparked riots across the country and unleashed anger over police violence “Yes, we know why we are doing this,” said Kassovitz, reflecting on Nahel's killing.
“It’s for him. It’s for all the victims that suffered that kind of violence after so many years.” Kasso.
