La Haine (1995)

"La Haine" is a political film. "La Haine" is a humanistic film about the realities of ghetto life. "La Haine" is a film about France, specifically the turmoil surrounding rebellion, honesty, and sacrifice. "La Haine" will anger you. It will make you cringe in your seat. It will make you question the values within your own community. That is why this film swept in 1995 when it was released, why other directors have attempted to recycle the story, and why even today - 14 years later - it still remains a relevant film, not just about French society, but a dedicated relevance towards American society as well. Director Mathieu Kassovitz has pulled this story directly from the headlines, taking the injustice of the police and the corruption of the streets and transforming it into the lives of three multi-national boys hell-bent on initiating revenge for the sake of their fallen friend. It is a dark story that uses drugs and violence off the scene to build the suspense within. Filmed in a stark black and white, Kassovitz takes away the glory, wealth, and American-ized culture of project life (see Baltimore's "The Wire") and allows us to experience one day in the life of these boys and their discovery of a gun.

Like von Trier's "Dear Wendy", "La Haine" focuses on the gun, a rarity within the youth of the French projects, and builds this momentum that the unknown will eventually happen. This onset of violence, which has been haunting us throughout the film, a la "Mean Streets", finally comes face forward in our third act in a shock provoking scene that will rattle you each time "La Haine" visits your DVD player. Yet, this is just a small indication of what "La Haine" has to offer. Yes, it is a film about violence, it is a political film, and you better believe that it is a youth film, but there is something universal about this mid-90s film that continues to resonate with each viewing. For me, it rests powerfully on the actors. Vincent Cassel absolutely steals this film. From his opening dance, until the unique dilemma surrounding the skinhead, he proves throughout this film that he was passionate about the material. For those doubting the power of his ability, see his body language, emotion, and intensity behind his words - what Cassel does in this film is rare in today's Oscar-caliber films. I recently had the opportunity to watch his film, "Eyes Wide Shut" - again, another independent film in which he gave over 100% of his ability to bring to the screen a genuinely unique character. That is the ability of Vincent Cassell. Yet, in "La Haine", we have two other players that bring even more of a dynamic to this group. Hubert Kounde's performance of Hubert is jaw-dropping. There is this subtle level of intelligence that rounds out our group consisting of himself, the wild-card, and the jokester. Hubert shows that life in the ghettos of France are not just a status symbol, but instead merely abilities to get by. When selling drugs, the money doesn't go towards jewelery or cars, it goes back to his mother to pay the gas bill. In this scene alone, Hubert shows his humanity, while Kassovitz demonstrates the truth behind the scene. Said was equally as good, keeping up with the other two, but for myself, Hubert and Vinz were our stand out roles. They played against themselves so much, that the two of them became closer as the film progressed.

Watching Criterion's release of this film, it is impressive how much they put together for this double-disc set. The interview with Jodie Foster is a bit long, but interesting. She talks about her first impressions of the film, and her excitement about bringing "La Haine" to the US of A. While it showed a different side to Paris, the universality of the message Kassovitz was trying to bring to the screen; youth's anger towards leaders, corruption within the police, and unnecessary casualties of protest is still relevant here today. Albeit, the language is different - the message is the same. Kassovitz's audio commentary is a political one, occasionally discussing how the scene was created and the shortfalls of creating a independent film, he talks in length to his experiences within the ghetto, and the truth behind the police in France (as well as its leaders). He also interestingly enough, talks about his influences on this film, and throughout his career. Obviously, you can see the Scorsese references throughout (see "Taxi Driver"), but he talks in length about "Mean Streets", and how that film spoke to him more than any other big-budget Hollywood film he had seen. Included on the second disc are plenty of behind the scene moments as well as extended and deleted scenes that further demonstrate Kassovitz's ability, and how he transformed this color film, into a cinematic triumph.

VIDEO: "La Haine" is an instant classic. I recently watched it with a group of people, and it was very unnerving to them. In fact, I spoke to one about a week later, and the film still resonated within her mind. That demonstrates the power of Kassovitz's film. The message is clear, the storytelling is unique, and our characters are defined. These are all great ingredients to create a powerful film. I am happy Criterion has added this to their collection, and I look forward to reviewing more of Kassovitz's work.

VISUAL: The stark black and white made this film. In color, I don't believe it would have had the same effect. Kassovitz's use of camera angles and close up shots (as well as a couple of non-interrupted shots) take "La Haine" from your normal narrative to a complex story about revenge and anger.

SOUND: In his audio commentary, he talks about how sound may have detracted from the message. I couldn't agree more. His tactful use of slight music (Bob Marley and local/Western rap music) only assisted in creating the visuals of the ghetto. It was crisp, audible, and powerful. Criterion has transferred well with this film.

EXTRAS: Criterion packs them in. As discussed above, the audio commentary, Jodie Foster interview, the deleted scenes, and discussion on why "La Haine" was made round this film into a cultural story, instead of just a Hollywood movie. There is quite a bit you can learn about this film, but also the social structure of France - which again, takes this film from being just a normal non-New Wave film to an opportunity to make a change in society.

Overall, I love "La Haine", but be forewarned. This is not a "sit-down-on-a-Saturday-with-some-friends-and-a-beer" film. This is a thought-provoking slice of international cinema that demonstrates amazing actors in their craft, a film with a message, and a director who had little to work with, but used what he had with artistic talent. "La Haine" will remain with you long after the short credits roll, the shock of the ending will make you jump again and again (no matter the amount of times seen), and the discussion to follow remains a pivotal part to this film. I cannot watch this film back to back, but when I come across a need to experience cinema as it should be created, "La Haine" will be the first to come to mind. Impressive.

I think the review above already tells you what I am going to give this film. A green mark with blue stars, I will watch this film again - I will give it to friends as gifts, and show it whenever possible. This is a near-perfect film, that should never be forgotten or ignored. Found in my Halliwell's book, this is my final "H" and I am now forcing myself to watch an anime series that has been looming in the back of my shelf for too long. I can't wait until my next entry, and I look forward to what the next book brings! "H" has been good, let's see what happens next.