La Haine: The Cult Film is Now a Musical

When I heard that Matthieu Kassovitz’s award-winning film La Haine (1995) had been made into a musical, I instantly thought: about time. Thirty years later, on October 10th, 2024, La Haine took to La Seine Musicale as a hip-hop musical or what some might call an “urban opera.” With theater director Serge Denoncourt, Kassovitz has staged the “black-blanc–beur“ (“black-white-Arab”) story of Hubert, Vinz and Saïd across 24 hours and through 14 tableaux projections. Making the most of an innovative projection system, both directors have tried to immerse audience members in a cinematic retelling of France’s 1990s police violence, youth culture and suburban banlieue communities. 

La Haine is a film with strong social and political roots. Both productions come after the immediate deaths of two young men, Mokomé M’Bowolé (1993) and Nahel Merzouk (2023), at the hands of two ”bavures policières.” Indeed, the film immortalizes the spirit of Mokomé, dramatized with the passing of Abdel Ichaha during police custody. Among the many motives within La Haine is the message that youths in these suburban communities are increasingly victims of police brutality, racism, poverty and crime. “Le monde est à vous” (“the world is yours”) are the words imprinted on a large billboard during the film, but for the trio, for Mokomé and Nahel, and many of the banlieusards, we can’t help but question, is it really? 

In the musical reinterpretation of La Haine the slogan “Jusqu’ici tout va bien” (“So far, so good”) has been changed to “Jusqu’ici rien n’a changé” (“So far, nothing has changed”). 

And yet there is much beauty to come from the musical adaptation.  

La Haine is a film guided by the movie’s physicality, that is, how bodies interact, through bodily greetings, dance, conflict, and embrace. An incredible way to showcase how these bodies move and engage on stage is with a 3D revolving stage and lighting effects, as is executed in this production. 

A poignant quote from the film, much inspired by its name, is “la haine attire la haine” (“hatred breeds hatred”). Talking about the 2024 reimagining of the film, Kassovitz maintains that “…we think that the solution is love. So, that’s what the show is. It’s how to stop hating and start loving.” It’s true that love, not hatred, bonds the three friends as they navigate life from marginalized perspectives. The musical sets out to answer the questions raised in the 1995 film, posing solutions to these complex issues. 

At the time, French suburban culture was not as widely recognized as it is today in the public eye. By projecting this narrative onto a stage, it renders the message all the more important. With an on-stage intimacy that is not accessible with the film, the audience is physically closer to the plot and the social problems at the core of this musical. 

Leading actors Aliyou Diop, Samy Belkessa, and Alexander Ferrario take on the roles of Hubert, Vinz and Saïd respectively. Emerging talent Aliyou Diop, who plays Hubert, claims that “the show is pretty raw,” and that “we like the raw material that we have with the breakdancing, with the rap.” Even with rehearsals, the musical aims to dramatize the natural spontaneity and unpredictability of life in these working-class neighborhoods, from impromptu dance moves to ad-lib conversations.  

With music running through the movie’s action flow, it is not only fitting but appropriate that this reimagining of the plot takes the form of a musical. In the 1990s, hip-hop and local rap became a form of counter-cultural identity, public recognition and self-expression. Music was a form of hope in an otherwise hopeless situation. Music by Cut Killer, The Wailers, ZAPP and Assassin accompany the trio’s story from start to finish, with often thought-provoking lyrics to assist the genre.  

In 1995, La Haine was awarded le prix de la mise en scène at the Cannes Film Festival, and I hope that in 2024, the musical may be nominated for many more prizes. 

The stage adaptation of La Haine is currently showing at La Seine Musicale in Paris, before taking the show across France, to cities including Marseille, Lyon, Dijon, and Rennes.  

You can find tickets here.