Watching “La Haine” 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.A confrontation ensues, followed by a voice-over: ‘‘It’s about a society in free fall." A gunshot is heard, leaving little doubt as to the dramatic outcome, with more blood spilled.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 Cannes Film Festival by storm.Kassovitz won the best director award, and “La Haine” achieved cult status in France and around the world.Nearly three decades later, it’s still hailed as the reference film on housing projects in crisis.
Kassovitz and theater director Serge Denoncourt are giving it new life, turning it into a stage musical that opens in October.The title remains the same — “La Haine,” which translates as “hate,” but adds a subtitle: “So far, nothing has changed.”“Two days after we announced the show (last year), we were very hyped,” Kassovitz said.”We were very happy to say: ’OK, we’re going to officially announce it and it’s going to be a beautiful show and it’s going to be a beautiful party and everything.
Two days later, we saw the video of Nahel, you know, the kid who got shot by policemen.”Kassovitz was referring to Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old delivery driver who was fatally shot by a police officer in June 2023, sparking riots across the country and unleashing anger over police violence, poverty and discrimination against people with immigrant backgrounds.Merzouk was of North African origin.“Yes, we kno...