Why do you think this? It's so incredibly dismissive. To me arthouse is a term given to shit films that are vying for more acceptability than it deserves. Although the internet has indeed latched onto the mask as the image of Anarchy. In V's case, the film definitely put much more emphasis on that sort of anarchic fantasy, but there's still a lot more to it. Dark Knight especially had a rather balanced take on the idea of anarchy. On a side note, I get what you mean by "Anarchy Rules!," which I personally see as a sort of mass-media adaptation of Anarchy into an escapist power fantasy, but I wouldn't say that is necessarily the crux of these films you mentioned. It puts these deep, conflicted characters in a world endless violence, but despite all the subjective and philosophical subtext the film does not lose touch of the reality of what they are doing.Īnd then that ending comes and rubs both the best and the worst of human emotion right on your face, putting hope side by side with hatred.
I love the bleakness expressed through the lack of colour and the lack of meaning of all the small stories, victories and defeats that the characters experience.
#La haine said movie
Funny enough, before seeing I actually thought it would be quite the opposite of an "Anarchy Rules!" movie and more of slow-paced, nigh-plotless character exploration, but it turned to be a pleasantly accessible and enjoyable film. It's been a few years since I last saw it, but it is an unforgettable movie. I think that its form is both flexible enough to allow this multitude of perspectives, while being consistent enough to establish a well structured visual system. Rough, in your face and blunt, its filled with fantastic narrative raptures: the story of the jewish man in the bathroom, the AMAZING helicopter shot from the Dj's window, stretching out, like dreams of so many people stuck in the Bonlieus of Paris, comes crashing down back to the reality of their poverty. And I think the ending reflects this ambiguity.Īnd, like you said, its visual style is absolutely impeccable. Each of them has their moments of truth and each as their failings. I found myself sometimes identifying with Vinz, then Hubert then Said then no one. What's more, each of those perspectives I've mentioned are given equal weight. And I think that this is what makes La Haine very different from some of the films you mentioned: It isn't interested in creating heroes. But they are also presented as human beings of flesh and blood, with depth, flaws, triumphs and pathos. And finally Said, an apathetic middle ground, almost like an absurdity trying to simply survive and get a few laughs. Hubert who wants to escape his position and escape the endless cycle of what he sees as meaningless and self-defeatist violence. It isn't hopelessly propagandist, nor mired in a trite Charles Bronson like conservatism (like say Harry Brown.) Each character in the trio represents a perspective for sure: Vinz the angry, poor exploited youth filled with hate and feelings of betrayal. This is one of my favorite films, I absolutely love it for a lot of reasons, but one of the main ones you already pointed out. If I had one complaint, it would be I didn't always believe the dialogue (witch is common when you're working with young characters.) The characters were fantastic and some sequences especially blew me away. I thought the camera work was fantastic and it was nice to see a film that that kind of artistic drive using more modern film technology. I was a little worried at first that it would be another one of those "Anarchy Rules!" movies that I've grown tired of(fight club, V for Vendetta, The Dark Knight ) but ended up taking a realistic look at all viewpoints. I was surprised that I hadn't heard of it sooner since if seemed like a pretty accessible film to me overall. One of the most stylish arthouse films I've seen in a while.