The stylistic choices made by filmmakers define not just the look but also the meaning of the film. How far is this true of the films you have studied for this topic?

I think it is true for both of the films we have studied.  The stylistic choices show how the film is meant to look and what it represents and I think the directors of both films have done this really well.

La Haine for example is shot in black and white. This reason it is shot in black and white is to show that the trio have no way of getting a job, they feel trapped and isolated and are poverty stricken. The French society wont let them in and so they are left as outsiders. Also the big, grey towering buildings all around them make them feel more trapped making it seem that they can’t escape.  One scene where Vinz is in his room, on his wall is a large poster of a beach. This shows that he wants to escape the life of poverty and move away but in the situation he is in, it is not possible. The picture is seen in black and white to show that he will never achieve his dream of moving away from the projects.  Also the film uses real news footage and the camera is very shaky and gives the impression it is handheld. This gives a realistic point of view and gives into the saying “what you see is what you get” as this is supposed to be based on real life and what people go through in the projects every single day. This shows that it has a more documentary feel to it and that it is leaning more to being a social realist film than world cinema.

City of God is more of a world cinema film as it is more stylised than La Haine. One example is the use of the lighting. At the start of the film it is daylight showing that everything is calm and everything seems to be in order. Later in the film however the lighting changes from day to night. This is when we move into the gang warfare between Lil Ze and Rocket. This shows how things have changed and the tone of the film becomes darker. The scale of the favelas also ties into this point. The characters are trapped in this place with no escaping out of the favela with no choice over what you can do with your life. You either get into the gangs and sell drugs to earn money or stay in poverty. The drug trade is risky as there is gang warfare all the time. This is what happens to Lil Ze and Rocket fighting to become the leader of the favela and to become the most respected.