Film: La Haine
Release date: 27th September 2004
Certificate: 15
Running time: 98 mins
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Starring: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Kounde, Said Taghmaoui
Genre: Crime/Drama
Studio: Optimum
Format: DVD
Country: France
A dark exploration of the harsh realities of life in suburban Paris shot in stark black-and-white.
The story follows Vinz, Saïd and Hubert in the 24 hours following riots in the Paris suburb where they live, during which their friend Abdel was beaten by police and is now barely alive in intensive care.
The main plotline of the film sees Vinz finding a policeman’s gun lost in the riots and vowing that if Abdel dies he will use it to kill a cop. From the outset, it seems inevitable that Abdel will die which, coupled with Vinz’s growing fantasies, creates an awkward tension with the viewer as if waiting for a bomb to explode.
As the film progresses, the desperation of the characters’ situation becomes more and more apparent. For people on the estates, there are no prospects and no hope. The trio go from area to area either becoming bored or moved on by the police as the struggle against society is emphasised…
The characters of Vinz and Hubert seem to have been modelled purposefully to be polar opposites. There is the sensible down to earth Hubert, who, throughout the film, attempts tirelessly to talk sense into Vinz, who in turn becomes more of an extreme - yearning for blood as he idolises Travis Bickle’s character from Taxi Driver.
Firmly in between these two characters sits Saïd, who acts as a counterpoint joking around and telling stories in an attempt to connect the emotionally charged Vinz and Hubert. The interaction between the characters works really well and the film is superbely acted throughout, with good performances from the supporting cast also, especially within the police force.
The major issue presented in the film is that of police brutality and race within the housing projects the characters live. The fact that the suburbs are such a melting pot of ethnicity shows how poverty and hopelessness really extends beyond such barriers. This is shown perfectly through the coupling of the characters: a Jew, a black and an Arab. All of whom are equal as they are united within the same social boundaries.
Throughout the film, there are hints at the world beyond the suburbs; in a shot where the characters are looking at the Eiffel Tower it seems miles away from the world they inhabit - a romanticised tourist face of Paris, faraway and unattainable to them.
The characters are taunted by the perverse irony of a billboard stating: “The World Is Yours”. Like so many others in their situation, they have no future, no ambition and no real life. They even deface the billboard in an act of futile vandalism, changing it to “The World Is Ours”.
There are some beautiful standout shots used within the film, namely a tracking shot moving through the rooftops of the suburbs, which could only have been filmed with a helicopter. The use of handheld generates a feeling of disorientation and helps to put the viewer right in amongst the action, giving the film a gritty and realistic feel to it.
The fact that it is shot in black-and-white (a decision taken by Kassovitz in post-production) really does enhance the general bleakness of the film, and gives a certain uniqueness that separates it from anything of that time. In the opening scene, real black-and-white footage of riots is used, which, through the cinematography of the film itself, bleeds into the narrative, giving the film historical positioning and, more importantly, purpose.
A fantastically shot and wonderfully acted film flowing with emotion that grips you until the very end. AH
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