Indifference Meets the Banlieue, Feels "Hate"

There is a contradictory feeling in Matheiu Kassowitz’ film "La Haine." The film leaves the audience with the perspective of the French urban neighborhoods as being increasingly dangerous. I, as an audience member, firmly believed that life in these suburbs is worse than anything here, and that there is a socio-economic segregation between these French citizens and those who live in Paris. The film makes it seem that the Parisians live wonderful, free lives. However, when examining the film, this is hardly the case. Kassowitz says that the banlieues are actually happier places than seen in the movie, and in the film, the characters fair relatively well when they stay in the banlieue. In Paris, the characters are beaten in a horrific way as opposed to feeling as free as one would think from the vibe of the film. Given these two ideas, what is the real message Kassowitz is trying to send the audience? I myself am having a difficult time understanding this difference in opinion. I think, though, when all is said and done, that I believe that Kassowitz is trying to demonstrate the lack of hope for the people who live in the banlieues.
I don’t think that it matters for these people where they are from as far as race goes. They are all French citizens, and obviously there is little to no racial segregation in the banlieues. However, there is segregation between those who live in the banlieues and those who are more integrated into French society as we normally think of it. The people in these French immigrant suburbs are isolated from the rest of the country, and while they have their own piece of culture in their little world, that fact is hardly compensation for the way they are treated by outsiders. This concept is what I believe Kassowitz was trying to explain.
The basic plot of "La Haine" can be described as three boys reacting to police brutality. This brutality is not felt because they are immigrants, because they are boys, or even because they are poor, it is because they are outsiders. They live in a place rejected by the rest of the country, a place forgotten, destroyed. The police treat them with hostility because they have power over them, because no one pays any mind. After all, who cares about the banlieue? The answer: no one. They are ignored, and so they are not socialized into French culture. Vinz, Hubert, and Said cannot begin to understand what Paris is like, because they are kept away. They are pushed to such levels of rage because they can’t be part of France as a country, because France is kept at a distance.
This film is not about whether conditions are better in Paris or the banlieue. It is about the classic human struggle to be heard, to be seen, and to have a fighting chance. Vinz finds policeman’s gun and wants to use it because he cannot think of a greater way to be seen. This is Kassowitz’ point: desperate people do desperate things. The rage Vinz feels in "La Haine" does not come from poor conditions, but from the indifference that he is faced with.