La Haine(1995)
dir. Mathieu Kassovitz
One day in the banlieue, and a gun.
Where to watch: Subscription: Criterion Channel ($10.99/mo); rent $3.99-5.99 on Apple TV, Amazon, Fandango At Home; buy $14.99 (JustWatch US, checked 2026-11-01). Verify.Letterboxd ↗
Three friends, Vinz, Hubert and Said, spend one day in a Paris housing project the morning after a riot, when a friend lies in a coma after police violence and Vinz has found a policeman's gun. Shot in black and white, it follows the three through a city that treats them as a threat. It starts with a line about a man falling from a building, and keeps asking when he will land.
Why it’s here
It's a film about what happens to three young men when the state meets them as a problem to manage. What's punk is the anger, the hip-hop soundtrack and the refusal to hand anybody a clean answer. What's pedagogical is the single day, which makes you notice how quickly a pattern becomes a fall. Pairs with Americanah, Stamped and The Hate U Give. Note: R-rated; guns, police violence and strong language; older teens and adults. French with subtitles. Kassovitz has made public conspiracy-leaning statements in interviews (including about 9/11) and other loud political remarks; the film predates them.
Where This Film Lives
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