In what ways does La Haine reflect the society in which it was made?

La Haine is a film that was made to directly reflect the society it was made in and made no excuses for it.

As soon as the film starts, there is a clear direct reference to the inspiration that caused the film. In 1993, a young Zairian male was shot dead by a police officer while handcuffed to a radiator. The police officer insisted it was an accident and he was simply threatening the boy; this sparked riots in Paris. In the film, police sparked riots from the death of a young boy who was ‘accidently’ shot. The immigrants already see the police in a negative view. This can be seen by the fact the migrants always refer to the police as ‘pigs’. The migrants have no respect for the police because the police see them as a threat, and as potential criminals.

A scene, which highlights the tension between the migrants and police, is when the police try to force the migrants off of the rooftop. There are several things to take from this scene, for example there is a medium shot when the police come onto the roof that shows the migrants go head to head with the police. This is a visual signifier of the on going ‘war’ between the two groups. This scene also lends itself to support the point that the police see the migrants as a threat. Before the police enter in this scene, there’s no big trouble, no crime and there doesn’t seem to be anything to worry about. This suggests that the police are simply acting as instigators here, starting unnecessary trouble. It also show’s some of the migrants are poor, and can’t even afford a hot dog. This is a reflection of that society because the migrants were unemployed because of their rejection from French society.

Another scene that tells us that it’s not often the migrants who instigate the trouble is when the News Crew interviews the lads. The scene begins with the three lads sitting around talking, causing no trouble. A van pulls up to interview them out of the blue. This is an implication that highlights the media’s ignorance and shows they see migrants as only criminals, that they’re all the same. The lads feel antagonised by this, and begin react. Kassovitz here is saying that it’s the media portrayal of migrants that contributes to violence. There’s a point of view shot of the cameraman in this scene, which shows Vinz acting violent towards the news crew. This shows us that this will be what the media choose to show society – violence from the migrants; not the whole picture. Towards the end of the scene, Hubert says that the projects aren’t a zoo. However, there are many references to this in the scene. For example, before the crew show up, the lads are just sitting around in a caged area passing the time. The fact that they are sitting next to a huge hippo is another big signifier. When the crew show up and begin to film them, it’s like they see the lads as an attraction, something to be documented. Also, the way the crew are on a higher level of ground in this scene is a reflection of there higher stance in society.