We are often positioned amongst the main characters, and this is evident in the scene where journalists arrive. This scene is very symbolic, as the camera angles support the social relationships between the middle class reporters and the inhabitants of les banlieue – high angle looking down on them (connoting dominance), and low angle looking up at the reporters. The mise en scene is also important as it mimics the imagery of a zoo – they are fenced in like animals being observed by the midde-class city people. It is almost like they are in a pit – lower than everyone else, mirroring their current situation. The enclosed and compact framing also shows us how isolated these people are, it really seems that there is little chance of escaping for them. Techniques like these work well to guide the audience’s thoughts and feelings towards the events on screen and helps convey the realism of the social situation.
Language in La Haine is very conversational, which is crucial for creating a believable environment. There are also many scenes where there are conversations that hold no relevance to the plot, a techniques used by directors such as Tarantino. In one scene, the 3 boys are walking down an alleyway discussing “Sylvester and Tweetie Pie”. This is put in not only for comic relief, but for intertextuality as well - acting as a sort of direct link to reality shared between the film and the audience. This increases the believability and the realism of La Haine. The scene where the man in the toilet tells the story of his friend is interesting because it is deliberately ambiguous – we do not know whether it is a metaphor for something, or completely irrelevant to the plot. What it definitely is, is comic relief. The occurrences up to this scene are quite heavy on the audience, and it certainly provides a much-needed break from it all. Dialogue like this can also make people reflect upon the events of the film thus far. Of course, there is not often comic relief in real life, so it is debateable as to whether this furthers or detracts from the realism.
As well as the “Tweetie Pie and Sylvester” references, there are several other examples of intertextuality in the film. The scene where the young boy explains a scene from the TV show “Candid Camera” is a good one as it is something that the audience can relate to – instantly making the film world more believable and authentic. One of the biggest intertextual references in La Haine is the “Taxi Driver” parody, with Vinz in front of the mirror. The slow and stylish camerawork builds up tension, as the camera slowly zooms in towards his face. He is at eye level, in the centre of the frame at close-up – this is very confrontational, unlike the original film where the protagonist was stood in medium shot, slightly to the side. Vinz’s actions seem comic on the surface, but ideologically it shows he has been influenced by this film and the audience genuinely believes he could be capable of murder. This scene is one of the most stylized, especially with the cut at the end on the non-diegetic gunshot. This on the surface does deter from the realism, making the film more Tarantino-esque in its presentation.
Narrative in La Haine tends to flow smoothly, in an almost documentary style. It seems to wander and we as the audience are always there to follow. Scenes do not always bear relevance to the plot; the film seems to wander between. This is also detraction from typical Hollywood techniques. Narrative-wise, the film is very realistic as it is presented almost like a day in the life (albeit an interesting one). What is unrealistic however, is that the film does seem like it is building up to something, and we are constantly waiting for the answers we are asking from the beginning (Will Vinz kill somebody? Will Abdul die?). But what we get is no real resolution, implying that the social problems of exclusion are still in occurrence. The ending is open to interpretation.
Overall, I feel that La Haine signifies a new direction in national social-realism cinema. Creating the film in a true documentary style would simply not be powerful enough to convey the true impact that the social issues were having at the time.. Documentary style simply does not work in voicing a message, and new-wave films such as La Haine and Fernando Meirelles’ “City of God” reinforce this with their different styles and techniques.