Consider how the subject of poverty drives the narrative?

Who is affected by it drive the narrative?( Ethnicity,Class,Age,Gender)

By George O’Mahony-30064259

LaHaine/Poverty

• La Haine is a 1995 French black-and-white drama/suspense film written, co-edited and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz. It is commonly released under its French title in English speaking country’s,

• The film is about three young french youth’s called,Vinz (Jewish),Said (Arab) and Hubert(African), who are second generation french citizens from ethnic background’s, which have integrated into french society.

• The three protagonist’s are represented, often as outcasts within their own country. This creates the rise of social deprivation throughout its struggle to live in the Balineu of Paris ,which are located in areas such as Gringy and Evgeny. .

• La Haine, was the first popular movie, that brought light to the French banlieue and the harsh living conditions of their inhabitants to the screen. It highlighted issues such as, Poverty raised by the French director Kassovitz.

• As a result the paris banlieue’s portrayed in Lahaine has become synomonys with violence and riots almost 20 years after the film’s initial release. The Banlieue’s still remain as an inherent part of the Parisian landscape, beyond the borders of the city. As a result of the rising migrant population in banlieue’s the lack of opportunities, have stayed unchanged to this day.

Ethnicty/Class

In La Haine, the three main characters come from different ethnic backgrounds, which is represented through the social political view of french society at the time. For example lack of employment due to racial tension between France’s nationalist right.

This film shows a racial Anti-semistic view towards immigrants and their family’s, (Jewish Vince, Arab Said, and Hubert French African decent) which is reflected through the three main protagonist who are conveyed as a social underclass which puts them into a state of relative poverty.

Class within the film is portrayed as France’s under class of society, due to their ancestry from France’s former colonial past. ,This makes it impossible for youth’s to gain any career prospects due to the stigmatised view associated with life in the Balieneus.

Age

In reference to Age, the three protagonists are all aged between 20 years of age at a time. They struggle to find their own identity within their own country, which is represented within the film in the form of American clothing shown as a current theme throughout the project.

Drugs and violence are represented as a form of escapism, which is caused by the lack of opportunity's present in the balieneus. This is caused due to social stigmatisation by the press and media. In addition to this, the main protagonist’s are represented to younger characters, as role models who are used to represent the degrading value of French society.

Gender

• In reference to gender “LaHaine” is portrayed as a male dominated film. As the three main protagonists are shown as the dominate sex, throughout the film in relation to masculinity which is portrayed throughout the film. This is due to the themes of Violence, Drugs and rioting which appeal to the male view within the film.

• Female’s within ”LaHaine” are portrayed in two distinctive category's .For example Vinz’s grandma is represented as a figure of authority within the inner balieneus, which creates a divide between both sexes. This is reflected later in the movie, where women are represented as object’s of desire rather then figures of defiance.

• In addition to poverty another distinctive view within how gender is represented within LaHaine is it disvalue's France's modern depiction of a society, where all people are treated equal under the county’s strict secular laws, which represent France as a nation for equality.

• In reference to finance each character has their own financial issues in their life’s, which is difficult to change due to their own circumstances e.g.: Lack of opptunites in the balieneus. This causes, unemployment, despair and unlawfulness. This subject is emphasised by the use of black and white tones used within the film as it captures an areas of life such as money and poverty in an extreme context.

• For example Vinz can’t keep a job due to his non conformist attitude towards society and anti sentimisim, in oppose to Hubert who was the owner of a Gym before the Paris riots burnt his livelihood and brought him to a financial meltdown.

• As a result of financial problems Hulbert s defined by his constraints within relative poverty despite his anticipation to resist the lifestyle of crime, gang violence and drug addiction. In addition to this all three protagonist’s share a common misconception about their financial goals, which they perceive can be achieved through their illicit activity's which hold them back from reaching a stable position of financial security.

Finan-cial

Emotional

In LaHaine emotion is shown in the form of anger, rage and hatred. As the film progresses, the motif of the globe is repeated through the use of a billboard that has a shot of the globe with the caption “The World Is Yours”, which represents the volatile world which all three protagonists live.

In order to claim it as their own, where rioting and violence are custom a part of everyday life. I think that emotions play on a real context within each character. For example Vinz has anger and fear which plagues his life, as he has a fear for his future as a young French man of Jewish decent.

As oppose to his friends Hulbert who had made efforts in the past to create a future for himself, before resigning his life to the balieneus, where life is cheap. Throughout the film Said struggles to find his place as a youthful naiveté, as he is shown throughout the film cracking jokes, stealing, and spraying graffiti.

End

By George O’Mahony-30064259