Problems with translation

I have heard from many people how good this film is and symbolic with the lives of the youths in comparison to the play they are rehearsing. However, I found it very difficult to see any of this as I did not understand what the characters were saying most of the time. I am a third year studying French and normally don't have a problem with French films but this one was very hard to understand. I am writting my coursework on it about how it portrays life in the banlieue so if anyone with a better grasp of French than me could explain the film in more detail to me I'd be very very grateful!