La Haine

From its iconic voiceover opening to its explosive shock ending, La Haine is a masterpiece in tension and brutality. Three young men are on a violent collision course following a night of rioting in the poor suburbs of Paris, which left a mutual friend hospitalised and hostility from the police running high. Throw in a moral clash between protagonists, hyperrealistic dialogue, moments of bizarre humour, and unblinking cinematography, and you have 98 minutes of what is still seen today as the most important film about France. This is an absolutely essential piece of media.

Lily Sharp

La Haine is one of the many films on our schedule this term whose reputation precedes it, a film that is as iconic as it is relevant to the political landscape today. The French perspective on the issue of institutional violence may be a bit extreme to British viewers, but the struggle against oppression depicted in this film is brilliant - simultaneously riveting and deeply saddening. La Haine (literally “Hate”) paints a nuanced picture of three 'gangsters' consumed by hatred, providing a careful blend of comedy and tension that lends all the more significance to the moments where tension reaches its peak. Its 90s period aesthetic is strangely beautiful, uninhibited by the B&W grading. This is one of those films where when the credits roll you can’t help but sit in silence for a minute and take it all in.

Ethan Dougall