Hubert tells a story: “Have you heard about the guy who falls down a skyscraper? On his way down he says: ‘So far, so good, so far, so good; so far, so good.’ It’s not how you fall, it’s how you land.”
Hubert tells a story: “Have you heard about the guy who falls down a skyscraper? On his way down he says: ‘So far, so good, so far, so good; so far, so good.’ It’s not how you fall, it’s how you land.”
Reggae, riots and police brutality open the film La haine (Hate), accompanied by a poster that reads: “Don’t forget, the police kills.”
Following the same theme as The Class last Tuesday, this is a stark representation of France’s ongoing identity crisis.
La haine is written and directed by Mathieu Kassovitz and stars Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé and Saïd Tachmaoui in a gritty, unsettling look at the cultural and racial issues in modern day France. Shot in basic black and white the story follows a day in the lives of Vinz, Hubert and Saïd; a Jew, an African and an Arab, as they aimlessly wander around their low income neighbourhood on the outskirts of Paris.
Their friend Abdel is in a coma after being shot by a policeman, which emphasises the us and them dichotomy between the immigrants and the police.
Their marginalisation culminates in an explosive hotpot of anger and bristling resentment. A recurring image is that of looking in a mirror, taunting the imaginary enemy with threats and vicious facial expressions.
However, in a world where society is fragmented and the enemy is no longer identifiable,frustrations mount in their concrete prison with staggering and nullifying results.
La haine is probably the most honest film about postmodern society I have seen in a long time. Again, as in The Class, the theme of violence and anger will make as much sense in a local context as in the international setting.
It is a truly beautiful film; simple, honest, violent and deeply existential. It’s about a society on its way down, and as it falls it tells itself: so far, so good, so far, so good, so far, so good. It’s not how you fall; it’s how you land.
•There will be no screening tomorrow but don’t miss the film the following week at Eden Grove at 7pm. After the wedding is a Danish/Swedish/Hindi film by best foreign film nominee, Susanne Bier and stars Casino Royale villian Mads Mikkelsen
