La Haine

aka The Hate
Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995, France, bw (7.2*)
This is a beautifully shot black and white film with an almost documentary style, by young director Matieu Kassovitz in just his second film. The story takes place during riotous times in an urban French ghetto and involves three slacker, Gen X friends: one Arab, one Jew, one African. Lead actor Vincent Cassel turns in a remarkable performance as the angriest, upset over police brutality toward street people; in particular the three are worried about a friend, now in a coma after a well-publicized police beating following some nightly riots.

There's a lot beneath the surface in Kassovitz' drama (though detractors say "not much"), unlike Meirelles' City of God where it all spilled into the immediate action of open warfare in the streets. Here the times are tense but most try to co-exist and simply bear with the injustices of society. In truth, there are no simple answers and rather than try to provide superficial ones, La Haine simply opens the camera on the miserable reality of urban life for those trapped without hope. This film won some international awards when it came out, mostly for director Kassovitz from minor festivals.