La haine: it’s cinema

La Haine (1995), directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, is a gripping, unnervingly relevant film that still echoes like a warning shot decades later. Set in the aftermath of a riot in the Parisian banlieues, the story follows three friends—Vinz, Saïd, and Hubert —as they drift through 24 hours of uncertainty, anger, and looming tragedy. What makes this film so potent is its claustrophobic sense of time and space, how we stay with them, trapped in this loop of tension, with the city pushing in from all sides.

Shot in stark black and white, La Haine strips the glamour off urban cinema and presents something bleak and beautiful in its honesty. The cinematography is stunning, often poetic, with long takes and sharp compositions that mirror the characters’ internal chaos. The dialogue is tight, sometimes darkly funny, sometimes crushing. But it’s the atmosphere, the weight of injustice, the hopelessness, the rage, that really stays with you.

Vincent Cassel gives a breakout performance as Vinz, capturing that dangerous blend of performative bravado and deep insecurity. Hubert Koundé’s quiet strength grounds the trio, while Saïd Taghmaoui provides a constant pulse of tension through humor. Together, they carry the emotional core of the film effortlessly.

Written by: Daniela Amaya