Riots, racism and repression are of course still a reality for the poor and racialised in France, but much has happened politically, as well as with the movement of communities both physically and socio-economically. However, as Ly states in response to the question about the similarities, 'Les Misérables' talks of the state of France a quarter of a century on. It is understandable that given the huge international success of 'La Haine', that any film which attempts to explore the complex political reality of the banlieues, will be measured against it.
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Twenty-five years since the release of Mathieu Kassovitz' 'La Haine' (1995), a black and white epic which leads the viewer through the life of three young men in the Parisian ghetto in the aftermath of the 1995 riots, some have described Ly's movie as its sequel, because of the film's setting and the issues it touches on.īoth portray riots that took place in response to police brutality, and both films explore the continued repression of poor, black, Arab and migrant communities. The question is when, and from whom the spark will come The officers also often find themselves in violent interactions with children in the neighbourhood.Įverything could blow, everywhere, all the time. While it initially feels like a relatively uneventful ride for the audience, the tension between the characters, and the feeling that something is about to happen, is difficult to shake as we are driven further into the lives of those living in the banlieue.Īs officers Gwada (Djibril Zonga) and Chris (Alexis Manenti) show newly transferred Stéphane (Damien Bonnard) the ropes, we witness their fake pleasantries with some locals, and the attempts the trio makes to assert power over particular characters within the community, such as "The Mayor" (Steve Tientcheu), who seems to also serve as an informant for them. Set in the Montfermeil district of Paris - an area which also features in Hugo's 1862 novel - the film follows three police officers on duty in the neighbourhood for 24 hours. France was on the brink of revolution then, the film asks us to consider what of it today? Malian-French director Ly's cinematic debut aptly borrows the title of Victor Hugo's famous novel and, in many ways, continues to tell the same tale of poverty, inequality, injustice and revolt, despite the book and the film being separated by over a century.