In what ways does La Haine reflect aspects of "Realism"?

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In what ways does La Haine reflect aspects of “Realism”?

In the mid 1990’s when La Haine was released it was met to great critical acclaim as it presented the major social issues at the time for modern day France. The problem of social exclusion was (and still is) one of the biggest political issues in France, and the director\writer’s intention was to tackle it head-on. One of the reasons that La Haine worked so well in attracting large audiences and media attention was how realistic the film appeared to be. This is achieved in a number of ways, including elements in the setting, language, narrative structure, and so on. The film was shot in black and white, which immediately gives La Haine a sense of authenticity with a gritty and realistic look.

La Haine is set in les banlieue, in the suburbs of Paris. From shooting on location in France, the audience can really get a feel for the living conditions and increases the believability and realism dramatically. As well as the run-down, gritty scenery, location shooting has the advantage of completely free-moving camerawork, giving La Haine a distinct documentary style. From using this, the director gives the film a feel of validity. An example of this used in the film is where they gang are loitering on the rooftop, and the camera follows them about, staying with them – as if we are part of the group. This first-person experience with the events of the film is essential to creating realism. La Haine is also known for being very stylised and experimental, with scenes such as the bathroom scene with Vince looking into the mirror. It could be argued that shots such as these deter from the realism, but I believe that the director created the film in a unique style to avoid losing the audience’s attention, and to create an outstanding film in the public eye. Another example of this type of filmmaking is on the balcony when they visit Paris, and the camera gradually pulls focus between the city streets and the group. This is an innovative and stylish technique to use in a film, and was most likely used for its “cool” factor to make the film gain some attention.

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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 ...

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