La Haine (Kassovitz, 1995)

Youth Films

Youth films usually portray rebellious young people who would not fit in with adult expectations; they challenge authority such as police, school, parents and adults in general. Attitudes are often displayed through clothes, music, speech and behaviour. Youth films began as a post-war phenomenon defined by representation of the target audience. In other words, who they were made for. Although they were publicised as otherwise they were usually very moral. They were made to target young audiences at a time when cinema was in crisis, largely due to television. They reflected contemporary fears about young people and the rise of a youth culture – affluence, deviance, delinquancy, sexual deviation. In Hollywood in the 1950’s, Marlon Brando and James Dean represented this new phenomenon – the rebel who is apparently against all established norms of behaviour.

What is the contemporary representation of this rebel? Is there one? Identify stars who play recognisable youth characters and the films they have appeared in.

What aspects of ‘La Haine’ do you think make it a youth film?

Youth films often represent youth as a social problem. It is a subject that British films have frequently dealt with, for example British Director Ken Loach, has made films about young people and their social context, for example ‘Kes’ (1969) and ‘Looks and Smiles’ (1982). Hollywood youth films often exaggerate problems for dramatic effect without really investigating the problems or possible solutions. ‘Boyz N the Hood’ (1991) is an example of an American youth problem film which explodes into violence. British social problem films are often more concerned with realism both in terms of representation (the characters are usually closer to those in real life) and in terms of how the story turns out.

Compare any British and Hollywood film dealing with young people. You might like to choose ‘Ratcatcher’ (1999), ‘The War Zone’ (1986) or ‘Trainspotting’ (1995) which as British films and compare them with, say, ‘Cluless’ (1995), ‘Ten Things I Hate About You’ (1999) or ‘Boyz N The Hood’ (1991). Or pick any two films of your own choice which deal with youth. What are the problems within the films and how does the film maker represent them? Do British and American directors deal with similar topics in a different way?

It might also be interesting to make a direct comparison of ‘La Haine’ with an American youth film and to ask about locations, culture (male or female, American or French), time period (‘La Haine’ happens over 24 hours). How realist or escapist it is? Does it depict the everyday lives of people in a recognisable location or could it be anywhere? When you have defined the differences try to pull together some similarities.

The Community, The Police
‘La Haine’ deals with young people’s lives on the housing estates on the outskirts of Paris and, in particular, the relationship of young people with the police. (‘La Haine’ means ‘hate’, which is what the youth feel about the police). Mathieu Kassovitz, the writer/director, is a young Jewish Frenchman who feels that he has an affinity for these communities. The three central characters come from three minority groups – Jewish, Arab and African French. In America, ‘La Haine’ has been compared to ‘Boyz N The Hood’ because of the important central role the gun plays, and also to Spike Lee’s ‘Do the Right Thing’ (1989) when a minor racial conflict gets out of hand. It has also been compared to ‘Trainspotting’ and to the films of Ken Loach (who is popular in France).

‘La Haine’, a small, low budget film, was very successful at the box office and was highly praised by critics. It had an extended run in cinemas in France and was shown to the French Cabinet as an example of how young people felt. Mathieu Kassovitz won the Cannes Best Director Prize in 1995.

‘Empire Magazine’, in December 1995, described the film as:

‘…a ‘message’ picture, so hyper realistic and visceral that the estate’s claustrophobia and the no-hope senario of its youthful population filter through like a scream’.

What is the message of this film?
What makes the scenario ‘no hope’?
Do you leave the film with any optimism?

In an interview, Kassovitz explained that the film was provoked by the death in police custody of a young banlieusard (suburb dweller): ‘What I wanted to do was tell the story of a guy who gets up in the morning and by the evening has got himself killed’. ‘La Haine’ unfolds over a troubled 24 hours, an uneasy morning-after calm settled on the estate where Vinz, Saïd and Hubert live. A police weapon lost the night before during the rioting, is in Vinz’s hands and becomes the film’s dramatic motor. The film explores the growing tension within the trio of friends. Vinz is an explosive, impetous character, a loose cannon who threatens to explode at any moment. The camerawork echoes the edginess of the group, moving them on wherever they happen to come to rest.

Comment on aspects of the camerawork that you particularly notice during the film. What gives it a documentary feel and how does the camera convey the mounting tensions between the friends and in the world that they inhabit?

The film presents itself in a documentary style; there is also an authentic sense of detail which adds dimension to this particular genre.

Identify the detail in the film which gives the audience a sense of place and an authenticity about the young boys’ lives.

The trio travel into Paris on an increasingly nightmarish journey. One of the slogans that we see is ‘Le monde est a vous’ (the world belongs to you) which they change to read ‘a nous’ (to us). The irony here is that Paris does not belong to them – it becomes an increasingly bleak assault course ending up with their brutal treatment in police custody.

Pick out tow or three ‘nightmarish’ moments which are emphasised by the camerawork. State how the camera angles and the framing add to their dark experiences.

The three boys try to pick up some young, sophisticated women at an art gallery but clumsily find themselves out of their depth and they then react violently and offensively. This incident  underlines their isolation both within the relationships they have with each other and the violent relationship that they have with the police. These are strong themes throughout the film.

Although most of the film is intense, there are also moments of playfulness and warmth. Identify moments like these and then find contrasting scenes of intensity. Comment on how the mise-en-scene, camerawork and editing add to these moments.

American Popular Culture
American popular culture has had attention from the French left and artistic community since the 1920’s. As in ‘A Bout de Souffle’, American culture is very important in ‘La Haine’. There are frequent references to it in ‘La Haine’, such as the guns, the music and posters in Hubert’s bedroom and Vinz’s recreation of a famous scene from ‘Taxi Driver’ (1976).

What others can you identify?
What is their significance in the film?

Themes and Style
1.   What is the central theme of ‘La Haine’? Is the film concerned with race? Is it significant that the three central characters are from three different ethnic groups?

2.   Do we see them as types or as fully-rounded characters?

3.   How does the music in the film and the camerawork make the film a youth film? Is the success of the film bound up with these two aspects?

4.   The time span of the film is a day. How does this affect the tension and behaviour of the characters? Does it affect the way we read the film?

5.   Is our understanding of the community increased by the film’s portrayal of these three main characters? Is our understanding of French and male culture increased?