La Haine, “It’s about a society on its way down, and as it falls it keeps telling itself, so far so good… so far so good… so far so good… it’s not how you fall that matters. It’s how you land.” Beneath the façade of juvenile banter and rowdy misadventures endured by the film’s three main characters, La Haine tells a much deeper story on the complexities of living in the Parisian slums of the 1990’s. The final line of the film above succinctly explains its true message of the numerous ongoing failings of society that occurred before La Haine’s production, during its creation, and long after its release. This is what makes La Haine’s examination of the French political state so fascinating. While it only details a day in the life of three broke …show more content…
young men from the banlieues of Paris, it tells a story that not only critiques the period in which it was produced, but also the world in which we live in today. Even as society continues fall, then and today, people fool themselves into thinking there is nothing to be concerned about, when in reality their way of life is nearing devastation. The story of La Haine is told through the eyes of three young men coping with the hospitalization of one of their friends at the hand of a police officer.
Each of the three men, Hubert, a black man who has his gym burned down in a police riot, Vinz, an anguished and brutish Jewish immigrant, and Said, an Islamic immigrant caught in a crossroads of joining in Vinz’s angers and standing with Hubert’s rationality, band together to survive the situation that they are forced to inhabit. Unable to escape the societal pressures of the Banlieues, the three men take to calling the police “pigs,” and in their eyes, there is little reason not to. At first, it seems that the tension of between the inhabitants of the slums and the police is the result of stereotypes that each of the groups hold for one another. It is only after an innocent Said and Hubert are arrested and humiliated by racist cops that the film takes a clear stance on the policing methods displayed in Paris’s suburbs. The film quickly establishes that it is not so much an anti-police film however as it shows a third cop looking on in disgust as the two young men are beaten. With this slight reversal, it becomes evident that La Haine isn’t so much being overtly anti-police as it is accurately describing the conduct of police at the …show more content…
time. Using the film’s analyzation of police attitudes towards youths in the banlieues of Paris and vice versa, examining the future with the same definition provides for harrowing trends. Following the release of the movie, French politicians made empty promises to reform police misconduct in poor neighborhoods. President Hollande, initially a champion of the lower-class, made promises “to begin registering France’s unmonitored police ID checks against non-white people” that turned out to be empty. Just 10 years after the film’s release, tensions boiled high once more, as historic riots broke out across Paris. Looters and rioters sought justice for harassment they faced from police in their daily lives. The results of the riots were much like the ones documented in La Haine; nothing happened. Today, France’s epidemic of police brutality is causing only speeding up the fall La Haine referenced 20 years later, and just as the film suggests, while everyone ignores the problems, the fall only gets worse. The controversies of policing methods throughout the banlieues is not the only thing contributing to the fall of French Society La Haine so aptly defines however. Racism and religious tensions in France are heavily scrutinized throughout the film through the unique cultural backgrounds of each of the main characters that mirrors multiethnic hub Paris has transformed into. Commenting on this through the decision to film in monochrome Kassovitz, the director, immediately seeks to establish the black-and-white relationships between race, religious beliefs, and economic status. Directly confronting racism in one scene, Hubert explains the state of France’s upper-class to Said: “Like that guy. Doesn’t looks so bad all one in his fancy leather jacket, but he’s one of the worst. They let the system carry them along like this escalator. They vote ultra-conservative but say they’re not racist. And if the escalators break down, the scumbags go on strike!” Obviously comparing the escalator to France’s political economic system that prevents minorities from rising out of the slums they inhabit, Hubert exposes both his internal desire to exit the banlieue and the overarching problem that it is nigh impossible for someone of his skin color or of Said’s religion to do so in such a xenophobic society. These themes of such overt prejudice throughout the film make for some ironic scenes that further contextualize the state of people like Vinz, Said, and Hubert living in the claustrophobic lower-class neighborhoods. Particularly when Said sprays Graffiti on a board claiming “The World is Yours” so that it says instead “The World is Ours.” While this shows the childish naiveté of Said, it also makes the viewer realize that despite all the billboards throughout the banlieues, these people are trapped because of an inherent discrimination against they’re status, whether it be that of a Jew, a black man, or a Muslim immigrant. This inherent discrimination has not dissipated in the years following either.
In fact, as tensions continue to rise in the Middle East, they have been further exacerbated. In just the past few years, France has been struck by numerous radical terrorist attacks from the Charlie Hebdo attack, to the Nice Bastille Day attacks, to the infamous Paris bombings that took place a year ago. While tensions have remained high since the 1970s when immigrants first came under scrutiny by the French upper classes, never before has such global attention been paid to France’s immigration and religious toleration policies. What is even more concerning is that the perpetrators of some of these attacks grew up in the banlieues of Paris. As La Haine predicted, since the institutional problems facing the French government continue to be ignored, the fall will be that much more
painful. Although released twenty years ago, and intended to be a snapshot in time of the current state of France’s lower classes, La Haine is in many ways more relevant today than it was at its release. The threat of becoming increasingly intolerant in the face of such atrocities is leading France to a dangerous crossroads, and as La Haine suggests, it could lead to the fall of their society. However, La Haine main message isn’t the inevitable fall of France’s society, but rather that these problems can be fixed with diligence and acceptance in place of ignorance and denial. for “it’s not how you fall that matters. It’s how you land.”
The French occupation is a confrontation between exported modernity and an old regime: the French revolutionaries and their dominance over the Ottoman social order that is markedly different in contrast; and, al-Jabarti reports on how it transfers cross-culturally. Levels of contestation, open and/or secretive acceptances give way to losses and gains driven by high emotion – even for this writer. He “describes very carefully every step in the negotiation of the organization of society, from administration to inheritance, from property to charity or from justice to deliberation.”
The French people were quick to blame the government for all the misfortune they possess, yet ignored the potential evil or crisis the social body was heading towards within themselves. Because of the rapid sequence of horrific events in the beginning of the French revolution, it prevented the subversive principles to be spread passes the frontiers of France, and the wars of conquest which succeeded them gave to the public mind a direction little favorable to revolutionary principles (2). French men have disgraced the religion by ‘attacking with a steady and systematic animosity, and all it is there that the weapon of ridicule has been used with the most ease and success (2). Metternich was not in support of the French
Both Kassovitz’s La Haine (1995) and Meirelles’ City of God (2003), utilise distinctive techniques in order to present ideas of power, poverty and conflict, as well as to reflect their urban environments in a particular way. Both directors present conflict between the poor and the powerful through a range of powerful micro and macro techniques to create films which expose the problems related to urban areas, and the context that each was set in, which contributes to getting the messages of their films across and thus has a greater impact on the audience.
The amount of violence prevalent in the suburbs of Paris is never glossed over in “La Haine” and Tea in the Harem. In Tea in the Harem, one of the first images presented to the reader is of the older residents of the neighborhood buying dogs and training them to sic any intimidating figures, including youths. “La Haine” ends and begins with a gunshot. The occupants of t...
Each social class in France has its own reasons for wanting a change in government. The aristocracy was upset by the king’s power, while the Bourgeoisie was upset by the privileges of the aristocracy. The peasants and urban workers were upset by their burdensome existence. The rigid, unjust social structure meant that citizens were looking for change because “all social classes.had become uncomfortable and unhappy with the status quo.” (Nardo, 13)
Anomie was coined by the sociologist Emile Durkheim during his book titled Suicide in 1897. He described anomie as a condition in which society provides little moral guidance and when there is a lack of the usual social or ethical standards in a group within a society. This fits perfectly into the movie because there is very much a lack of social and ethical control. The only thing that keeps any kind of control over the society is the Timekeepers. The Timekeepers’ job is to keep a watch over the society and keep as much crime like killing for time or stealing time out of the society. They are supposed to keep the society running smoothly and efficiently but because of the exploitation and extreme poverty that the bourgeoisie has caused, it leaves the lower class that live in the ghetto with no other options left. Also, because of the people of New Greenwich and their extreme power over everybody else, they go more times than not unscathed and unnoticed when they do something against the law. This creates a bureaucracy within their society. A bureaucracy is a governmental system in which the decisions are made by those that hold the most power instead of an individual elected by the people. The Timekeepers in this society are controlled by those in power like Philippe Weis, the wealthy man from New Greenwich that controls most of the money or time in the society, and other powerful individuals of New Greenwich. This also
The Declaration declares that all French citizens must be guaranteed their natural born rights of “liberty, property, security, and resistance to oppression.” In the Declaration, it disputes that there is a need for law that protects the citizens of Fra...
Meursault is a young man living in Algiers. He receives a report of his mother Madame Meursault's funeral. He attends his mothers funeral, but he does not show any outward signs of appropriate grief. He returns to his home and immediately begins an affair with Marie Cardona, a former co-worker. After the weekend ends, he concludes that his mother's death has changed nothing. The banal rhythm of a Sunday afternoon remains exactly the same as it was before. He strikes up an acquaintance with Raymond Sintes, a local gigolo and pimp. Meursault unintentionally becomes involved in a dispute between Raymond and Raymond's mistress and her brother, the Arab. The dispute ends with Meursault's murder of the Arab. Meursault, who narrates The Stranger, does not offer an explanation for the murder. It is by all appearances completely without motivation. Nevertheless, society demands a rational explanation.
La Haine is a French film from the 1990s. The film is in black and white camera effect and sets a serious mood and tone. The movie starts off with clips of people rioting and cars being overturned. Right away, you can tell one of the themes in this film will be related with violence. The movie’s main characters are three young men; Said, Hubert, and Vinz. They all were from the projects. Although the three of them were ethnically diverse from one another. They derived from the same background and experienced similar conflicts within the French society. La Haine greatly exhibited how harsh life was for the people living in the projects. The movie revolved around themes such as violence, racism, and the struggle of coming from a relatively poor
The word La Haine translates as Hate. The story revolves around three young men, North African, a black guy and an eastern European Jew who are against the society which has marginalized them. In this movie the concept of suburbs is portrayed for the very first time in
In the satires of Juvenal, it seems all matters of life are susceptible to his anger and bitter sense of humor, and food is not an exception. Even the Roman cena is full of social and political commentary from the way a dinner invitation is sent, to how the tables and couches are arranged in a cubiculum, and what elements create the perfect meal that solidifies the social hierarchy of the host. Through examining the carnal language and the meanings behind the descriptions of the various delicacies and scraps that are highlighted in his satires, this paper sets out to analyze how Juvenal uses the language and theme of food and its use in creating dominance and power in Satires five and eleven.
The film’s portrayal of government insensitivity to the plight of the slum dwellers and the telling of the story from the point of view of the characters shows that the youth who become criminals, such as the Tender Trio and the Runts are victims of circumstances. These kids were not born criminals or social deviants, but are, right from birth, exposed to a social environment that nurtures them into criminals. They are born into a world were survival requires one to engage in crime, a decadent society in which hardcore criminals like the Tender Trio are idols. The film, therefore, views the social problems associated with urban slums from the victims’ point of view by trying to show why they act and behave the way they do. It is not an attempt to excuse or justify their crimes, but an objective depiction of the interacting factors that make young boys like Li 'l Zé and the Runts to be transformed from innocent children to gun-toting robbers and drug sellers. They are victims of government negligence of the slum’s poor, exemplified by an urban planning policy that limits resource allocation to poor neighborhoods. The ending scene drives this point home powerfully when the Runts ask each other if anyone of them can write so they can make the hit list. Without education, how does the government expect such youths to earn a living, and how much can they be justifiably blamed for turning out the way they did? In the City of God, crime is the beast. If you run away, it will catch up with you, if you stay, it will eat
...d in all its gritty, depressing, and violent truths. While being born in the upper middle class, Hugo manages to shows the plight of the poor in a realistic and touching way that connects with the people of the time on more than superficial level. While it initially received mixed reviews, Les Miserables was a global success and is remembered for it profundity and insight into the lives of people living under the July Monarchy. The novel’s standing a political and social commentary allow readers for years to come to sympathize with the people and inspires change for those still living in conditions such as these. Each adaptation made brings a unique twist to the story and rekindles interest in the outstanding literary work. Considered by many to be one of the greatest stories ever written, Les Miserables allows us an exclusive look into 19th century French culture.
Far from rationalizing terrorism, the aim of this paper is to analyze the fear of the terrorist rather than the society’s fear of the terrorist. Medias portray terrorist as an angry irrational heartless individual that just betrays Islam to create death around him. However, his anger hides something deeper such as fear. Films such as Pour L’amour de Dieu (2006), Hadewijch (2009) or Voyage sans retour (2013) represent a new type of narratives about how French Muslims negotiate their identity. The corpus explores a more diverse range of ways of ‘being Muslim’ in contemporary France, giving more noticeable expression to Islam as collective, communal belief and practice, for example showing scenes of group prayers, but also showing how the Muslim
The story of the poor Frenchman, Claude Gueux, written by Victor Hugo, tells the life altering decisions that this man was forced to make. From the beginning to the end, it follows him as his criminal acts thicken and become more volatile. This however is not the story of a common criminal in modern day America; this tale tells of a man in the time of the French depression and had no option other than resorting to a life of crime. It dictates what happens when society plays too much of a part in a persons' life. Some of the time this is good, but all too often it is disastrous and leads to the demise of a person.