About 30 years ago, there was something disturbing about watching La Haine (“Hate”), a film about violence in the suburbs of France.
The French director’s critically acclaimed black-and-white film opens with news footage of urban unrest. It follows three friends, Hubert, Vinz and Saeed, for 24 hours in the world of police brutality. It ends with one of the young men killed by an officer.
A violent reaction ensues, followed by the cry: “This community is in free fall.” A shot is heard, leaving little doubt about the dramatic outcome, and more blood is shed.
The film served as an opening into the grim reality of life in what the French called “banlieu” (slums with social housing projects) and earned Kassovitz the Best Director award at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. La Haine” has achieved cult status in France and around the world.
Mathieu Kassovitz speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Tremblay-en-France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024.
(Christophe Ena/AP)
Nearly three decades later, it is hailed as a model film about poor urban communities in crisis. Kassovitz and theatre director Serge Denoncourt will breathe new life into it and turn it into a musical play, which will premiere in October.
The title is the same: “La Haine”, but the subtitle is added: “Until now, nothing has changed”.
“Two days after the play was announced (last year), we were so excited,” Kassowitz said. “We were so excited to say, ‘Okay, we’re going to make it official and it’s going to be a beautiful show and a beautiful party and everything.’” “Two days later we saw a video of Nahel, you know, the kid shot by the police.”
Kassowitz pointed to 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, a deliveryman who was killed by a police officer in June 2023, sparking nationwide unrest and outrage against police brutality, poverty and discrimination against immigrants. Merzouk was from the Maghreb.
“Yes, we know why we are doing this,” Kassovitz said. “This is for him. This is for all the victims who are suffering after years of this kind of violence.”
Actors during a rehearsal of the musical La Haine, in Tremblay, France, Tuesday, September 17, 2024.
(Christophe Ena/AP)
love is all you need
Despite filming La Haine in black and white, Kassovitz tries to avoid drawing overly simplistic conclusions about the roots of violence.
“We are trying to address the issues raised by the film,” he said. “We can’t point fingers all the time. Maybe now is the time to fix the problem. And we believe the solution is love. So that’s what music is. That’s how to stop hating and start loving.”
To find the trio of actors who would convey this message of love through the musical, Kassovitz and his team traveled around France for months. The director believes that Aliyu Diop, Sami Belkessa and Alexandre Ferrario were the right choice to recreate the chemistry of the film.
Despite all its darkness, the film also had positive scenes. It is full of funny jokes and gags that strengthen the bond and love between the three main characters as they delve into the heart of Paris.
“There is also a lot of love in the neighbourhood,” said Diop, who comes from the working-class district of the port city of Le Havre. “Otherwise we would shoot each other. In the film, you see three friends who live in difficult circumstances and, while watching the film, you forget the context. They make us forget that. That is why I love them so much. They laugh, they laugh at their misfortune.”
Mathieu Kassovitz in Tremblay-en-France, September 17, 2024.
(Christophe Ena/AP)
When Kassovitz made his film, French suburban culture was still underground. A local rap music scene was already emerging, but the local mainstream media tended to portray young people in social housing projects in a negative and mostly fearful light.
Kassovitz said she was happy to break some stereotypes and that young people from the suburbs now have the chance to reach the top of the charts, like Franco-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, who sang at the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.
For Kassovitz, the difference between the film and the musical is that there is no need to make people aware that these are children from low-income communities. “Thirty years ago, nobody knew about them, so we had to make a film to introduce them to French culture,” he says.
Actors during a rehearsal of the musical La Haine, in Tremblay, France, Tuesday, September 17, 2024.
(Christophe Ena/AP)
Diop, who plays Hubert in the musical and is also a rap artist, wowed casting observers with his stage presence. A major asset in a musical show that combines dance, film, rap, theatre and live performance, which Denoncourt hopes will be groundbreaking.
“We try to put things together in an artistic way, but not too much or too pretty. “We love the raw material we have with breakdance, with rap,” he said. “The show is so raw.”
