La Haine (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #48 extract: La Haine (1995)

I've always liked La Haine, though not necessarily for its social commentary. There is power and punch in the final image that leaves this a film resolutely bound to a sense of the inevitable. But, this is not what draws me to this. 

What really makes La Haine work are the characters, the style and the moments of comedy. In fact, for how individual and distinguished our three main characters become, it can be hard to map this narrative onto a wider idea of the French banlieue-city conflicts as you're so immersed in the three characters' personal journeys. With all else subservient to character in my view, Kassovitz (who I struggle to disassociate with Amélie) uses his black and white cinematography and sharp mise en scène to great effect in capturing the inner fear, violence and energy that is always about to explode from characters. A brilliant film.