The black-blanc-beur casting is prominent and integral to depicting the multi-ethnic projects, with ethnic tensions and racism explicitly tied to the plot's cycle of violence and alienation. These elements reflect the actual demographics of the setting and serve the story's focus on social inequality without appearing as forced additions or modern identity-driven revisions. Director Mathieu Kassovitz drew from real 1990s police incidents to highlight systemic marginalization, class divides, and police-youth clashes, making these themes foundational to the narrative rather than incidental.

The 1995 social realist approach stays grounded in documented events of the era and avoids contemporary activist framing, source alterations, or lecture-style messaging. This keeps the progressive content limited to organic context and thematic relevance, resulting in a moderate score.