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La Haine
By BOOGLE BABY
01 August 2009
This issue: La Haine (1995; Dir: Mathieu Kassovitz; Stars: Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui)
La Haine, literally 'Hate', is a fantastically accomplished film. It is one of many that highlight the inequities and hardships faced by those growing up in the slums of Paris. However, unlike the many other films in its cohort, La Haine manages to stand out as not only poignant, but also a sublime piece of film making.
La Haine is a visceral film, built upon the turmoil inside its three protagonists, coupled with the turmoil on the streets. You wonder if one is the cause of the other, however this soon becomes irrelevant as it is clear they now just exacerbate each other. Shot in black and white, with a bare soundtrack, the minor details of the on screen experiences shared with the viewer are amplified acutely.
Vinz, Hubert and Saïd are surrounded by the titular Hate. There is racial hatred towards Arabs and blacks, and there is hatred between the lawless youth of the estates and the police that harangue them. This goes both ways, as we see petty and vindictive police officers abusing their power out of malice; but then, when Vinz finds a misplaced police pistol, the tables turn. He finds himself in possession of lethal power, and therefore the ability to put his self-confessed hate into practice. As the three struggle with this issue throughout the film, it takes on various forms, but ever present is the feeling that this cannot end well.
A scene to look out for is a particularly brilliant close up monologue of Vinz in front of a mirror, where he copies De Niro's Travis Bickle from Taxi Driver "C'est a moi que tu parles?" (You talkin' to me?). This shows an egotistical side to Vinz's discovery of the gun, he has a desire to be feared and respected, but at the same time his naiveté is refreshingly human in a film filled with such pessimistic aggression.
A recurring theme in the film is the blind journey towards one's own destruction. Several times throughout the film a tale is related of a man who falls from a building and on the way down keeps saying to himself "Jusqu'ici tout va bien" (so far, so good..."). This metaphor applies to the film in many ways, and the inevitability of the ending doesn't make it any more palatable.
Oh and one other thing; was I the only person outside France to read an Asterix book when I was younger? During the film, the main characters meet up with a drug dealer called Asterix, and yet somehow in subtitles his name is translated into "Snoopy", a travesty in my opinion since Asterix is clearly vastly superior to Snoopy!