La Haine

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