La Haine analysis

Hubert in his bedroom

Hubert's bedroom scene starts with a low angle close-up shot, positioning the audience very close to Hubert, this is because he is a greater example of the prejudice they face therefore the director wants the audience to relate to Hubert the most, as he is the audiences way of understanding the projects. Hubert is shown preparing the drugs which he sells, and also smoking some of it, however the audience does not see Hubert as a criminal as it has been made clear that the money he earns goes to his family to pay their bills. Hubert sees this as a job, as he is unemployed, and uses it to support his mother and his family. He smokes due to the fact that he is unemployed and his gym was destroyed, he has nowhere to go and no way to pass his time, and it keeps him off of the streets where trouble is caused.

The posters on Hubert's bedroom wall are of American icons, for example there is a poster of Muhammad Ali, an American icon who symbolises identity and the determination of your own fate. He was also involved in the civil rights movement. There is also a poster of the 1968 Olympics, with US athletes, Tommie Smith and John Carlos giving the Black Panther salute. Hubert looks up to these people as he relates to their deviation from their country's culture, for example Tommie Smith said "If I win, I am American, not a black American." This relates to Hubert's struggle of being part of a non-French community, only if he did something extraordinary would he ever be seen as French. Smith and Carlos rose above the racial stereotypes, and this is what Hubert hopes to do. His walls are also decorated with flower-patterned wallpaper, this could suggest that Hubert has previously shared a room with one of his sisters, or they may have moved in and had no money to replace the original wallpaper they started with, so instead he decorates his room with posters, and some African art as shown throughout the house, representing their culture.

The diegetic music of a black American artist, Issac Hayes, helps to reinforce the reality of the film. When the music fades out and is eventually switched off, we then see the projects from Hubert's POV. The point of view of his environment shows an overcrowded and varied mix of non-White people. Hubert is the most aware of his position in French society, he sees the projects as they really are, like an enclosure. The French, such as the Parisians, reject the migrants and the people of the projects and enclose them like animals. Vinz and Said are much more oblivious to this, and when we see them through Hubert's POV, they blend into the shot as they represent many of the young migrant men living in the projects. Hubert sees the young children and the adults mixed in the same environment, and this shows how they are trapped in this cycle, where the children will repeat the mistakes of their elders due to there being no other way to occupy their time, as there is no school and many of the students cannot afford textbooks. Hubert's POV shot is contemplative and it demonstrates Hubert's deeper understanding of his environment and his position in French society.