CONTAINS SPOILERS!
"Le Monde est a Vous", ("The world is yours"). One of the most poignant moments in the film is when African French character Hubert reads this message on a billboard, and is virtually reduced to tears with the realisation of how much the world has denied him.
This is a brutal film, both shocking and amusing, that depicts life in a housing project in a Parisian suburb, and how three youths each of a different ethnic minority live there. "La Haine", (Hate), is what they all feel to the police, in particular Vinz, (Vincent Cassel), and life in general. In the aftermath of a riot which has left a friend in a coma Vinz vows to kill a policeman if the friend dies. He will do this with a gun he found, a gun dropped by one of the riot police during the riot.
His friend Hubert, (Hubert Kounde), has seen his gym destroyed in a night, after working two years to own it. Even so, he appears more level-minded than Vinz, until he assaults an officer.
Their Arab French friend, Said, seems somewhere in between. What is certain is that they all feel la haine in some way or another. This is hardly surprising, as they encounter violence at every turn, and their future looks desperately bleak, (reflected by filming in black and white).
The film is set over a single day, and shows just how quickly life can change in a rough city suburb. The social awareness raised by the film apparently had an effect on the French government who were prompted to investigate the reality of the situation.
The film employs some of the most intriguing camerawork I have seen in recent years. It has a feeling of immediacy, in an almost documentary style approach, which feels more real, and draws the audience closer to the characters. I felt real sympathy for all characters in the film, and the life such people have to endure. If there is any sign of hope for the future, i.e. Said altering the sign, "Le Monde est a Vous" to "Le Monde est a Nous", (The world is ours), it is soon extinguished at the next turn.
As an Englishman trying to learn French, I feel I would appreciate this film more if I could understand it as it is spoken, as so much is lost in translation, however "La Haine" remains effective even when subtitled.
I rate this film very highly, and as a Film Studies student studying world cinema, I was impressed by my first real look at French cinema. The acting from all three leads is excellent, (Hubert Kounde shines), and emotions run high.
9/10
I look forward to watching more French films. "La Haine" will almost inevitably be the film I measure them against, and I hope there are many more this impressive. Jusqu'ici, tout va bien!
"Le Monde est a Vous", ("The world is yours"). One of the most poignant moments in the film is when African French character Hubert reads this message on a billboard, and is virtually reduced to tears with the realisation of how much the world has denied him.
This is a brutal film, both shocking and amusing, that depicts life in a housing project in a Parisian suburb, and how three youths each of a different ethnic minority live there. "La Haine", (Hate), is what they all feel to the police, in particular Vinz, (Vincent Cassel), and life in general. In the aftermath of a riot which has left a friend in a coma Vinz vows to kill a policeman if the friend dies. He will do this with a gun he found, a gun dropped by one of the riot police during the riot.
His friend Hubert, (Hubert Kounde), has seen his gym destroyed in a night, after working two years to own it. Even so, he appears more level-minded than Vinz, until he assaults an officer.
Their Arab French friend, Said, seems somewhere in between. What is certain is that they all feel la haine in some way or another. This is hardly surprising, as they encounter violence at every turn, and their future looks desperately bleak, (reflected by filming in black and white).
The film is set over a single day, and shows just how quickly life can change in a rough city suburb. The social awareness raised by the film apparently had an effect on the French government who were prompted to investigate the reality of the situation.
The film employs some of the most intriguing camerawork I have seen in recent years. It has a feeling of immediacy, in an almost documentary style approach, which feels more real, and draws the audience closer to the characters. I felt real sympathy for all characters in the film, and the life such people have to endure. If there is any sign of hope for the future, i.e. Said altering the sign, "Le Monde est a Vous" to "Le Monde est a Nous", (The world is ours), it is soon extinguished at the next turn.
As an Englishman trying to learn French, I feel I would appreciate this film more if I could understand it as it is spoken, as so much is lost in translation, however "La Haine" remains effective even when subtitled.
I rate this film very highly, and as a Film Studies student studying world cinema, I was impressed by my first real look at French cinema. The acting from all three leads is excellent, (Hubert Kounde shines), and emotions run high.
9/10
I look forward to watching more French films. "La Haine" will almost inevitably be the film I measure them against, and I hope there are many more this impressive. Jusqu'ici, tout va bien!