French cult film 'La Haine' returns as hip-hop musical with tensions persisting in poor suburbs

Watching “La Haine” nearly 30 years ago, there was a sense of something inexorable about violence in the French suburbs.

French director Mathieu Kassovitz’s critically acclaimed black-and-white film opens with video images of news footage of urban riots. The film then follows three friends — Hubert, Vinz and Saïd — over the course of 24 hours in a world of police brutality. It ends with the killing of one of the young men by a police officer.

A confrontation ensues, followed by a voice-over: ‘‘It’s about a society in free fall." A gunshot is heard, leaving little doubt as to the dramatic outcome, with more blood spilled.

The film served as a revelation about the grim reality of life in what the French call the “banlieue” — the deprived suburbs with housing projects — and took the 1995 Cannes Film Festival by storm. Kassovitz won the best director award, and “La Haine” achieved cult status in France and around the world.

Nearly three decades later, it’s still hailed as the reference film on housing projects in crisis. Kassovitz and theater director Serge Denoncourt are giving it new life, turning it into a stage musical that opens in October.

The title remains the same — “La Haine,” which translates as “hate,” but adds a subtitle: “So far, nothing has changed.”

“Two days after we announced the show (last year), we were very hyped,” Kassovitz said. ”We were very happy to say: ’OK, we’re going to officially announce it and it’s going to be a beautiful show and it’s going to be a beautiful party and everything. Two days later, we saw the video of Nahel, you know, the kid who got shot by policemen.”

Kassovitz was referring to Nahel Merzouk, a 17-year-old delivery driver who was fatally shot by a police officer in June 2023, sparking riots across the country and unleashing anger over police violence, poverty and discrimination against people with immigrant backgrounds. Merzouk was of North African origin.

“Yes, we know why we are doing this,” Kassovitz said. “It’s for him. It’s for all the victims that suffered that kind of violence after so many years.”

Despite shooting “La Haine” in black and white, Kassovitz tries to avoid overly simplistic conclusions about the roots of violence.

“We are trying to solve the questions that the movie raised,” he said. "We cannot point fingers all the time. Maybe now it’s time to have solutions. And we think that the solution is love. So, that’s what the show is. It's how to stop hating and start loving.”

To find the trio of actors who would carry this message of love through the musical, Kassovitz and his team traveled across France for months. The director believes that Aliyou Diop, Samy Belkessa and Alexander Ferrario are the right choices to recreate the chemistry from the film.

For all its darkness, the movie already had a dose of good feeling. It's filled with dozens of funny punch lines and jokes that only reinforce the bond and love between the three main protagonists as they venture into the heart of Paris.

“There’s a lot of love in the hood, too” said Diop, who comes from a working-class neighborhood in the port city of Le Havre. “Otherwise we’d all be shooting at each other. In the movie you see three buddies living in a complicated context, and you forget the context as you watch the film. They manage to make us forget that. That’s why I like them so much. They laugh, they laugh in their misery.”

When Kassovitz made his film, French suburban culture was still largely underground. The local rap music scene had already emerged, but the local mainstream media tended to portray the youth from the housing projects in an unflattering and largely fear-based light.

Kassovitz said that he's pleased that some of the stereotypes have been broken and that suburban youth are now getting a chance to make their way to the top of the charts, like French-Malian pop star Aya Nakamura, who sang at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

For Kassovitz, the difference between the film and the show is that there is no need to warn people that this is about kids from the projects. "Thirty years ago nobody knew them, so we had to make a movie to introduce them to the French culture,” he said.

Diop, who plays Hubert in the musical and is also a rap artist, impressed the casting team with his stage presence. An essential asset in a musical show that combines dance, cinema, rap, theater and live performance, which Denoncourt hopes will be groundbreaking.

“We’re trying to put things together in an artistic way, but not too, too cute. We like the raw material that we have with the breakdancing, with the rap,” he said. "The show is pretty raw.”

Actors perform during a rehearsal of La Haine musical show, in Tremblay en France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Actors perform during a rehearsal of La Haine musical show, in Tremblay en France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Actors perform during a rehearsal of La Haine musical show, in Tremblay en France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Actors Aliyou Diop, left, Samy Belkessa center, and Alexander Ferrario pose in Tremblay en France,Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Actors perform during a rehearsal of La Haine musical show, in Tremblay en France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Actors perform during a rehearsal of La Haine musical show, in Tremblay en France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Actors perform during a rehearsal of La Haine musical show, in Tremblay en France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Mathieu Kassovitz speaks during an interview with Associated Press, in Tremblay-en-France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Mathieu Kassovitz speaks during an interview with Associated Press, in Tremblay-en-France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Mathieu Kassovitz speaks during an interview with Associated Press, in Tremblay-en-France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

HOLD TO GO WITH ENT LA HAINE MUSICAL Kassovitz poses after an interview with Associated Press, in Tremblay-en-France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Mathieu Kassovitz poses after an interview with Associated Press, in Tremblay-en-France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

Mathieu Kassovitz poses after an interview with Associated Press, in Tremblay-en-France, Tuesday, Sept. 17, 2024. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)

TOKYO (AP) — Hong Kong’s share benchmark has fallen more than 9% as traders dumped shares following recent sharp gains.

The Hang Seng index lost 9.4% to close at 20,926.79. Technology and China-related shares led the decline.

Hong Kong shares had logged strong gains over the past week while markets in mainland China were closed for a weeklong holiday. The advances were fueled by recent announcements of plans by Beijing for more support for the economy and for financial markets.

Shares initially soared in Shanghai on Tuesday but then gave up a chunk of those gains as details of economic stimulus plans from officials in Beijing fell short of what investors were hoping for. Shares elsewhere in Asia declined.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

Shares soared Tuesday in Shanghai as Chinese markets reopened after a weeklong holiday but then gave up a chunk of their initial gains as the details of Beijing's plans to revive the world's second-largest economy appeared to fall flat.

The Shanghai Composite index was up 3.1% at 3,438.16, though in Shenzhen, Japan's smaller market, the main index gained 6.2%.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng sank 7.6% to 21,336.70 as traders, apparently underwhelmed by the update from Beijing, sold to lock in profits from recent gains.

The Shanghai benchmark initially gained 10% but fell back as officials of China's main economic planning agency briefed reporters about a slew of policies announced earlier that were meant to address various problems such as a protracted slump in the property market.

“China’s markets rally has hit a wall, leaving investors deflated. The reopening surge from the week-long holiday barely had time to gather steam before fizzling out, and now the once-thrilled bulls are licking their wounds,” Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management said in a commentary.

Elsewhere in Asia, markets were mostly lower.

Tokyo's Nikkei 225 index lost 1.3% to 38,842.75. as the dollar fell to 147.89 Japanese yen from 148.18 yen. A weaker yen tends to push share prices higher.

The Kospi in Seoul declined 0.4% to 2,599.96. Australia's S&P/ASX 200 dropped 0.4% to 8,176.90.

On Monday, U.S. stocks slid after Treasury yields hit their highest levels since the summer and oil prices continued to climb.

The S&P 500 dropped 1% to 5,695.94 and is still close to its all-time high set a week earlier. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 0.9% to 41,954.24, coming off its own record. The Nasdaq composite sank 1.2% to 17,923.90.

It’s a stall for U.S. stocks after they rallied to records on relief that interest rates are finally heading back down, now that the Federal Reserve has widened its focus to include keeping the economy humming instead of just fighting high inflation. A blowout report on U.S. jobs growth released Friday raised optimism about the economy and hopes that the Fed can pull off a perfect landing for it.

When Treasury bonds, which are seen as the safest possible investments, are paying more in interest, investors become less inclined to pay very high prices for stocks and other things that carry bigger risk of losing money.

It’s more difficult to look attractive to investors seeking income when a 10-year Treasury is paying a 4.02% yield, up from 3.97% late Friday and from 3.62% three weeks ago.

The yield on the two-year Treasury, which more closely tracks expectations for the Fed, jumped more on Monday. It rose to 3.99% from 3.92% late Friday.

Treasury yields may also be feeling upward push from the recent jump in oil prices. Crude prices have been spurting higher on worries that worsening tensions in the Middle East could ultimately lead to disruptions in the flow of oil.

Brent crude, the international standard, shed $1.23 to $79.70 per barrel. It had jumped 3.7% Monday. Benchmark U.S. crude, meanwhile, slipped $1.21 to $75.93. It also gained 3.7% on Monday.

Stocks that are seen as the most expensive can feel the most downward pressure from higher Treasury yields, and the spotlight has been on Big Tech stocks. They drove the majority of the S&P 500’s returns in recent years and soared to heights that critics called overdone.

Apple fell 2.3%, Amazon dropped 3% and Alphabet sank 2.4% to act as some of Monday's heaviest weights on the S&P 500.

An exception was Nvidia, which rose another 2.3%. It rode another upswell in excitement about artificial-intelligence technology after Super Micro Computer soared 15.8% after saying it recently shipped more than 100,000 graphics processing units with liquid cooling.

If Treasury yields keep rising, companies will likely need to deliver bigger profits to drive their stock prices much higher, and this week marks the start of the latest corporate earnings reporting season.

Analysts say earnings per share grew 4.2% during the summer for S&P 500 companies from a year earlier, led by technology and health care companies, according to FactSet. If those analysts are correct, it would be a fifth straight quarter of growth.

In other dealings early Tuesday, the euro rose to $1.0982 from $1.0977.

AP Business Writer Stan Choe in New York contributed.

FILE - The New York Stock Exchange is shown on Sept. 24, 2024., 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Peter Morgan, File)

Currency traders pass by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), center left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won, center, at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

Currency traders watch monitors at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A currency trader passes by a screen showing the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI), left, and the foreign exchange rate between U.S. dollar and South Korean won at the foreign exchange dealing room of the KEB Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)