B+



La Haine is the second and most acclaimed movie of Mathieu Kassovitz who also delivered the likes of Gothika and Babylon A.D. Whoever thinks that the guy can't direct anything to save his life, should watch La Haine first.

La Haine is a black 'n white drama about the life in the banlieues of Paris. Living here in Germany you usually know a thing or two about how it is there and that even though it has been getting better over the last ten years the situation there is still far from perfect. La Haine was made in 1995, however, during the time when unemployment and terrible living conditions were still near their peak. The banlieues are the French ghettos and La Haine is to France what Boyz in da Hood is to the USA. I can imagine that coming not knowing much about the situation, the movie can certainly offer some new insight.

As it stands, though, the movie is not much different from the usual urban dramas like the one I mentioned above, but that only slightly lessens its impact. It's still a very raw and hard-hitting film about the effects of hate on the society as well as on oneself. It is also about choosing your path, inside the spiral of hatred or away from it...and possibly failing. Is La Haine preachy? Not really. I am sure that some might perceive it so, but I think it leaves a lot up to the audiences. The deciding moment of the film is the monologue that the short old guy delivers at the restroom around the middle of the film. Pay attention to that. Kassovitz' somewhat restrained directing style fits the film very well. The performances all feel real (the main cast members just kept real names for the characters). You feel as if they all actually are from the banlieues. The movie's not too short on social commentary of many kinds, but as I said, it is not pushed down our throats here. The turns that the plot of this movie takes are rather predictable once you have seen similar urban-centered dramas and so is its conclusion. Nevertheless it gives some food for thought and the excellent performances stay with you some time after the movie is finished. See it for yourself to judge.