SSC Film Studies

How has the study of French history and culture informed your understanding of the characters of Vinz & Said?


After viewing the film La Haine only once, Vinz and Said appear to be nothing more than dysfunctional teenagers with a grudge against French authority and a taste for rebellion.
However, when studying French history, and the background of Vinz and Said respectively, I have discovered more depth to the two characters.
Kassovtiz has chosen to use three main characters of different ethnicities in order to show the diversity of the projects, as well as giving a point of view from the three main ethnic groups in the projects.

Said is of Algerian decent, and we initially see him as a likeable, if inconsistent character. He doesn’t seem to know what he wants, and is uncertain about his future. This is reaffirmed through his vulnerability; he is the most vulnerable of the three.

Said is a Muslim, and at the time of production (1993-1995) Muslims took up 1% of the French population. This is reflected in Kassovitz; portrayal of Said and people ‘like him’ as Said is isolated from opportunities, from other ethnic groups, and from French culture.

It is likely that Said’s ancestors were immigrants who came to France in search for work when independence from the French Empire was granted. These immigrants were not well received by French people, who feared their culture and way of life would be eroded by immigrants coming in with different cultures.

However, this is just the start of the conflict between Algerians and the French. The Setif Massacre saw many Algerians have their land taken, or even killed. The French state sanctioned actions including executions of rioters, bombing of Muslim villages by the air force, Senegalese vigilantes paid to lynch villagers and prisoners (known as the Pied Noir – Black feet), and shootings of Muslims who refused to wear the required white arm bands.
The French say the death toll was 1200, whilst Algerians say 45,000. Historians suggest it was around 6500.

This large number makes it likely that many of Said’s ancestors could have been killed by these French sanctioned actions, otherwise known as French authority.
The French authority in Said’s life is the police, therefore suggesting that the police represent those who could’ve killed Said’s ancestors, and Said’s hatred for the police stems from the stories he may have heard of the lives of his ancestors.


The Algerian - French war ran from 1945 and 1962 and the aftermath saw both the Pied Noir and the Algerian members of the French army repatriated (given French citizenship).
Algerians were out into camps and shanty towns, which would evolve into 'the projects', thus giving a direct link from this event and Saids's life just over 30 years later.


Therefore, Said's generation of French Algerians are essentially still being punished for something related to their ancestors ethnicity, resistance and location.
Due to this context, Said as a character has more depth. We can see why he dislikes the police so much, as he knows the French are trying to rewrite history. Because of this, we sympathise with Said more.
Said's lack of respect for the police is fully justified, though a hint of fear he has of the police links back to the fact that French authorities could have killed his older family, and they did tear apart his homeland.
Therefore, Said sees the police as an occupying force; there to stop him, not protect or save him.


Our initial reaction to Vinz is similar. We see him as misunderstood, but clever and capable of being a leader. He is of (white) Jewish faith and decent, though his faith has lapsed.
Much like Muslims, at the time of production Jews made up 1% of the French population, despite the French relationship with Jews going back over 2000 years.
They have faced persecution ever since they have settled. Often, especially in the 20th century, state sponsored anti-semitism was rife, and was also actively encouraged by several groups.
Also much like Algerians, French people believed Jews would not be able to properly integrate with French Christian society; they would bring their own culture, and would be seen as possible traitors.
Therefore, Jews are positioned as isolated in society, and persecuted, as well as vulnerable and unwanted. This is reflected perfectly in Vinz.


During Germany's occupation of France in 1939, the country split in two; German controlled, and Vichy controlled. Despite Vichy controlled being French, Jews got just as bad treatment there as they would under the Nazi influenced German control.
The poor treatment would breed resentment, and it is likely that this is something Vinz would know much about, with it being possibly that his Gran, whom he lives with, was a survivor of Vichy control; explaining Vinz' hatred for French authority.
To make things worse for Vinz, it was not until the retirement of President Mitterrand in 1994 tha France faced up to it's role in the massacre of around 73,000 Jews in death camps. This use of revisionist history was in Vinz' generation, meaning the events of his ancestors could not be forgotten; his (former) President was essentially part of the cover up that aimed to mask France's role in the massacre of Vinz' people, and he resents this.


This would have made Jews in France feel unwanted, betrayed, and rebellious, as well as feeling completely isolated without a hope of actually rebelling or making a stand. This could be why Vinz is so pro-riots, as it gives him a chance to get his point across without it explicitly being about the history of Jews in France, which wouldn't cause a very big riot on it's own.


Therefore, much like Said, we sympathise more with Vinz when he know his ancestry and backstory; we know why he is so eager to make a stand against the government and show how poorly treated he is. We understand that his hatred doesn't just arise from the bored of the projects, but a simmering anger from his people that may never cease.
He sees the government and French authority as something that is out to get them, and feels that if he doesn't do something, he will have the same fate as some of his ancestors.