CINEMABSOLUTE

----------Warning: This article may contain spoilers!

Undoubtedly one of the cult films of 90s world cinema, La Haine is a 1995 French socio-thriller written as well as directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, who also played a minor role, was actively involved in its editing, and won the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival. He wrote the screenplay in 1993, inspired by the cases of 17-year-old Zairian Makomé M'Bowolé, who was shot in the head while in police custody, and 22-year-old Algerian-French Malik Oussekine, who was beaten to death by police during student protests in 1986. Dedicated to those who died during its production, the film vividly portrays the unrest, police violence, and racial tensions in French suburbs. It questions the consequences of economic marginalization and social justice, making it a fitting subject for this article by reminding viewers of uncomfortable truths.

Starring Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, and Saïd Taghmaoui, “La Haine” tells the story of Vinz, Hubert, and Saïd, three young men living in the impoverished immigrant suburbs of Paris. The film follows their 24-hour journey following the urban riots in which their friend Abdel fights for his life in the hospital after falling into a coma due to police violence. Vinz has taken a gun lost by a police officer during the chaos and plans to kill a cop with it if Abdel dies. Hubert's boxing gym in the neighborhood has been burned and looted during the riots, but instead of focusing on this loss, he dreams of starting a new life. Saïd remains generally distant from the events, though he engages in passive protests by writing graffiti, showing some awareness of the issues, but he is more preoccupied with girls, money, and light-hearted banter.

Although Hubert, at least in the film's first part, takes a more moderate stance and opposes Vinz's intentions, Vinz still secretly carries the gun everywhere. When they visit Abdel in the hospital, they are turned away by the police, and Saïd is arrested for refusing to leave aggressively, only to be released with the help of a familiar police officer. Shortly after, Abdel's brother attempts to avenge him by trying to kill a police officer, leading to a new confrontation. There our protagonists also encounter the police, with Vinz drawing the gun on an officer, but Hubert intervenes by first pushing Vinz and then punching the officer. They escape by jumping on a train to Paris, fleeing from the suburbs to the city.

The Paris adventure begins with the protagonists in a public restroom, listening to and trying to understand the story of a man who survived the Gulag. He tells of a friend who, while relieving himself far from the train, missed the moving train while trying to keep his pants from falling and running after the train at the same time, and died from the cold. After this, they visit a cocaine addict named Astérix to retrieve Saïd's money, leading to a violent confrontation. Upon leaving, Saïd and Hubert are arrested by the undercover cops, while Vinz manages to escape. At the police station, Saïd and Hubert suffer physical and verbal abuse but are released at night, missing the last train. Vinz reunites with them, and they wait for the morning train.

While waiting for the next train’s time, they first find offered free food at an art gallery, get into a confrontation with the people there, and are kicked out. They take refuge in a shopping mall, where they learn from the news that Abdel has died. Later, they encounter skinheads, and this time Vinz points his gun at one of them. Hubert, who earlier argued that hatred breeds hatred, now encourages Vinz to shoot, but Vinz doesn't. In the morning, back in their neighborhood, Vinz hands the gun to Hubert. Seconds after, in another confrontation with police officers, Vinz is shot in the cheek and killed. Hubert and the officer, the one who shot Vinz, point their guns at each other, and a gunshot is heard, but it is unclear who fired as the camera only focuses on Saïd, who is in shock.

The story of the film can be summarized as follows, moving on to the main elements in its background:

• Vinz, a young man of Eastern European Jewish descent, represents anger and frustration. He comes from the streets, hasn't been able to study, and while he dreams of dancing, he spends almost the entire film on edge, carrying a gun at his waist waiting to be used.

• Hubert, of Afro-French descent, is a former boxer who now symbolizes hope and the search for escape, represented by his boxing gym. By the end of the film, it's possible to say he undergoes a transformation (particularly seen in the gallery scene and after).

• Saïd, a young man of North African descent, represents those trying to escape the harsh realities of daily life. While he is not disconnected from events and does react, he nevertheless remains the most hedonistic character among them.

• The film's story takes place in the mid-1990s in the suburbs of Paris, during a time of significant social unrest. These areas are known for being economically and socially disadvantaged, predominantly inhabited by minorities. The film meticulously details the daily lives of the youth in these regions, the challenges they face, and their conflicts with society. The filming was appropriately conducted largely in a suburb called Chanteloup-les-Vignes.

The film's hallmark is its strong and impactful portrayal of the difficulties of life in the suburbs and the social injustices faced by their inhabitants, from a perspective of social realism. Given the serious nature of the topics it addresses, the film showcases the discrimination and violence minorities face as a result of the state's harsh security policies, through its characters. Additionally, it highlights the problems these characters encounter daily and the issues they inflict on each other or their surroundings. It exposes unemployment, poverty, and social exclusion, along with the anger and despair that drive these young people to clash with the system. The film not only shows the victimization but also the attitudes, feelings, and negative reactions developed by these characters in response to their experiences.

The film draws stark attention to the living conditions in the suburbs by shooting in real locations and highlighting the incongruity with contrasting environments. The inadequate infrastructure, significant neglect in terms of landscape maintenance, and high unemployment rates in the suburbs are clearly depicted. Moreover, the Paris scenes in the second half of the film emphasize the contrast through the settings, the characters' interactions with these spaces, and their discord with city dwellers. The primary subjects of the story, particularly the youth, are prone to crime due to limited opportunities for education, employment, and a decent living. This tendency is both a means of survival and a consequence of critical know-how (!) they've acquired under these conditions. The street culture they live in is prominently showcased both in the foreground and background, supported visually and aurally by elements such as graffiti, hip-hop music and dance, substance use, and everyday violence (both physical and verbal). The casting features many local non-professionals fitting minority profiles, presenting viewers with a realistic and comprehensive portrait of suburban life. The professional actors in the film are also friends or acquaintances of the director or each other (the director even casts his father), which enhances the authenticity and realism of the performances and aids in creating the desired portrayal through effective actor management.

As highlighted repeatedly while describing the film, and its critical origin story, a crucial factor is the polarization and conflict with the police forces, the main representatives of the establishment in the film's universe. The film presents the tense relationship between the police and suburban youth, following the severe injury and subsequent intensive care of Abdel, who was wounded by the police and then kept under their surveillance at hospital. This tension leaves a lasting impact on the viewer throughout the film. There are, of course, exceptional profiles, such as a police officer from a minority background trying to help the neighborhood youth, or officers simply doing their jobs. We even witness a policeman in the streets of Paris surprising the main character with his politeness. However, the most common profile is that of officers who are either recklessly empowered or whose authority has spun out of control. They are unconditionally dedicated to protecting the establishment and do not hesitate to use their power physically, psychologically, and verbally against those perceived as threats. Even young people gathered on a terrace during the day are seen as threats and are directly intervened upon, with the youth themselves, for sure, far from behaving like compliant house cats at this point. The tension among suburban youth is an absolute reality of the story, with no possibility of reconciliation in sight. A symbol prominently featured as a central element in this tense environment is the gun—a symbol of violence, order, rebellion, dominance, existence, and most importantly, power.

One of these guns, used by the system to maintain order through the police, is taken by Vinz and is poised to be used for revenge if Abdel dies, serving as a key element of suspense and intrigue in the narrative. The gun also shifts the balance during the protagonists' fight with skinheads and when Vinz decides not to use it and hands it over to Hubert at the end of the story - as he loses his advantage and, stripped of that power, is rendered defenseless, ultimately getting shot by a police officer. Thus, Kassovitz illustrates the endless vicious cycle of violence and the abuse of power that triggers discrimination, through never-ending conflicts among those who wield it and through the gun, the most potent symbol of violence. He particularly emphasizes how young minorities are trapped in this cycle. The film does not end* on a happy or tranquil note, as such an outcome does not exist in the reality of that life. By remaining silent about the situation, the film underscores that social division, injustice, and overlooked unrest will persist. It conveys that violence cannot hide or silence social injustice and discrimination, nor can it establish balance and justice; rather, it deepens these issues.

* Kassovitz himself said, "I knew the ending before I knew the storyline. Everything is about the end, the last few seconds."

Of course, while the reality depicted in the film is quite universal, it is also essential to consider the historical developments that set this stage. France's colonial and imperialist past (like many others), and the subsequent waves of immigration -due to causing poverty overseas- as a direct consequence, led to a diversification of the country's ethnic and cultural fabric. Particularly after World War II, workers from former colonies were additionally brought in to boost the French economy and were often relegated to living in the suburbs. This process resulted in the social and economic marginalization of ethnic minorities. When considering and evaluating this context in the film, it becomes more feasible to place the characters' social discord on a reasonable foundation. After all, the characters are not in an isolated environment; rather, they are within reach of the most affluent areas of the capital, Paris. They travel to Paris with the viewer, and we see them in both luxurious neighborhoods and occasionally underground locations, but generally in outlaw circumstances. 

A clear example is when the protagonists are asked to leave the gallery due to a dispute, and Hubert remarks to the crowd, "No one died. Then there's no problem. Everything's fine," which, although seen as a moment of soft comedy, beautifully underscores the difference in class reality through the perception of danger. Additionally, their dialogues with the elite exhibition crowd highlight how the existing class divide cannot be bridged even momentarily through conversation, showing the magnitude of anger and hatred, as the oppressed group's experiences are deeply ingrained with these sentiments. Thus, understanding the living conditions in the suburbs compared to the most livable areas of the country, the mismatch between the youth in these areas and the broader society, and how this situation is both fueled and compounded by the violence they face, becomes easier, and at times, it even becomes possible to empathize.

The phrase medium is the message is not said in vain, so it's important to evaluate such an impactful film through equally impactful techniques, especially from a cinematographic perspective, without getting too lost in technical details. The decision to shoot the film in black and white adds depth to its atmosphere and narrative while also reinforcing a sense of timelessness and universality. That format eliminates the distracting effect of colors, allowing the audience to focus on the characters, events, moments, emotions, and specifically, the messages. Additionally, this choice contributes to the palpable sense of harsh living conditions and social tensions in the Parisian suburbs. Well, the decision to present the film in black and white was initially financial, but Kassovitz notes that it brings a stronger expression, inspired by the work of photographers, which is hard to disagree with. He successfully emphasizes the film's harsh and socially realistic tone, even imparting a documentary feel to it. Such that, the film begins with actual protest and conflict footage presented in black and white, with reggae** music playing in the background, effectively setting the atmosphere for the audience. There is no score in the film, only a soundtrack, with background sounds coming from homes and car radios, significantly contributing to the film's naturalism.

The cameras, shooting angles, and editing techniques used in the film significantly contribute to its realism too. Dynamic camera movements, close-up shots, and wide-angle scenes convey the tense atmosphere where needed, the inner worlds of the characters where necessary, and their momentary positions in the chaos they inhabit. For instance, narrow-angle shots and handheld camera use visually express the characters' general feeling of confinement and sometimes their agitation, while fast-paced and impactful transitions in editing and montage maintain the film's rhythm and tension at a high level. The Paris scenes were largely shot guerrilla-style, with as much crew and equipment as could fit in a van, which enhanced the sense of discord the characters experienced with Paris, representing the system's heart and mind. Techniques such as the dolly zoom (a.k.a. Vertigo effect) and the framing choices for characters in various scenes also contribute immensely from a technical perspective. When combined with the persistent conflict with the police and the concept of Chekhov's gun (or Hitchcock's bomb underneath the table), these techniques flawlessly convey the continuous sense of threat and uncertainty experienced by the characters. Additionally, a specific point worth emphasizing is the scene where DJ Cut Killer performs "La Haine" to the entire neighborhood through loudspeakers. The use of a Flying-Cam in this scene effectively immerses the audience in the character's world. The track itself, which became a phenomenon with the film, features a hip-hop piece that powerfully announces the theme of discord by including Edith Piaf***: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JL-gB7HuJjs

** Bob Marley's family was shown the opening credits and riot footage to obtain permission to use his music in the film, for which they charged a very symbolic fee.

*** The decision to include this hip-hop track featuring Edith Piaf was intended to show bourgeois viewers that this community doesn’t fundamentally hate France but has respect and affection for it. This choice was not about pandering but rather a calculated choice.

Finally, it's worth discussing the social and political controversies the film sparked. The film, with its title and poster choices, was intended to give viewers a clear idea of what to expect. Even before its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, it was already known as an anti-establishment and anti-police film. In fact, the security police at the red carpet turned their backs on Kassovitz and his three stars, Cassel, Koundé, and Taghmaoui, as they walked the red carpet. On the political scene, Jean-Marie Le Pen, the leader of France's far-right National Front party at the time, referred to the young characters in the film as thugs and suggested they should be jailed if they were filled with hatred. However, President Jacques Chirac sent a letter of appreciation and congratulations to Kassovitz, and Prime Minister Alain Juppé wanted government officials to watch the film. Years later, in an interview, the most critical comment on the film's impact came from its creator himself: "If we hadn't made this film, the hunting season would have continued. We opened people's eyes. Now, when they see police resorting to violence in the streets, they can say, 'You can't do that.'" At the same time, in the film, with the moments showing the time and the tense sound that makes the audience feel like a bomb is about to explode, Kassovitz emphasized, "This is the last call for our society. If we can't fix it, I give us no more than 50 years. 50 terrible years." He also highlights that today, the film's characters would be "either dead or in prison."