How far can it be argued that your chosen films provide a ‘realistic’ representation of the people and places they focus on?

How far can it be argued that your chosen films provide a ‘realistic’ representation of the people and places they focus on? The two films I have chosen provide two different insights into violence and poverty stricken locations in the world. The first film, La Haine, gives insight to the projects in France, specifically the ones outside Paris. The second film is City of God, which follows Rocket, a young boy trying to achieve his goal of becoming a photographer within the deadly environment of the favelas in Brazil. However, the two films give two different representations, as La Haine is a more realistic representation of its people and location while City of God is much more stylised. These differences are shown right at the beginning of both films. La Haine starts with real life footage of the riots that took place in France in the 1980’s and early 1990’s, and then switches into a fictional news report that still maintains a realistic feeling. This beginning gives the film a documentary style and feeling, making it seem much more realistic and non-fictional. This is used as the film is based on real life events and on the murders of over 300 people in France who were killed by the police during the riots, helping the audience to understand the type of violence that went on during the riots while also commenting on the history of France and immigrants in the country. However, City of God begins in a very cinematic manner, using many different camera angles to start with, unlike La Haine, which uses real footage. This gives the film a less realistic feeling as it doesn’t give a true representation of the location of the favelas. There is the use of micro elements throughout the film that are used in order to follow the genre of the film, and while they make the film more appealing to a global audience they take away from the realism of the film, giving it a much more stylised look and feeling. However, despite this there are still some ways in which the film gives a good representation of the favelas, for example the ruthlessness of the favela. La Haine gives the point of view from three different characters from three difference ethnicities within the projects of France and Paris. These P.O.V’s give a realistic representation of the different type of ethnicities within France during the riots, as it displays the different ways in which ethnicities were treated, and also how the police institution in France could be deemed a racist institution. An example of how the film gives a realistic representation within the film is the scene in which Vinz, Hubert and Said leave the apartments in Paris only to be confronted by the police. As Hubert and Said are of African and Muslim origins and ethnicity they were treated in a harsher way than Vinz, being ruthlessly arrested and interrogated on the spot by the police, whereas Vinz, due to his white ethnicity, was calmly asked and treated in a much nicer manner than the other two. This is realistic as it is how the ethnicities in France were, and still are, being treated as those who are from families that immigrated from African colonies are treated unfairly and unequally by the police and other institutions in France. This helps to give us an understanding of France as a racist country as there is a common believing that you are either “French” or “Non-French”, with those in the projects being counted as “Non-French”. City of God is very stylised in the way in which it represents its people and its location. This is done in order to follow the conventions of the crime genre, as well as being able to appeal to a much larger world audience than La Haine, which is considered a national film. There are many examples in which City of God is considered stylised, one of which being the microelements used throughout. One of these is the lighting used in the film, as there are parts throughout the film in which the lighting is improved in order to make a scene seem more bright and happy, for example the scenes on the beach are affected by special effects in order to make it seem like a much brighter and friendlier place, giving it an unrealistic feeling. The lighting used throughout the film is also unrealistic as it follows the narrative of the film. The beginning of the film starts in brightness to show that it is a happy time in the favela. However it could be argued that the films do not have a realistic representation of the police. In both films we do not get the point of view from the police, and both represent them in a bad light. In La Haine, the police are represented as racist and ruthless, with the exception of two police figures who are barely shown, with one of them being ethically different himself. The other, a police officer “learning” about interrogation, watches as Hubert and Said are beaten up but fails to interrupt, allowing the other police officers to hurt them. He is shown to disagree with the procedure as he is seen as shaking his head throughout, showing his disapproval but doesn’t even try to stop the other officers. While the film shows that some members of the police institution do not agree with the ideologies and racism held by other members, it does not really elaborate or show how the police institution are trying to battle the racism in the institution, and portrays the police force in France as totally racist without giving their point of view in the projects. It does not show how the police are also treated, as they have to put up with the damage and chaos caused in the riots, and only portrays them as totally bad. In City of God, the police are very barely shown, and the only role they have is to show the corruptness of the force in Brazil, as it is a police officer who provides the gangs in the Favela with weapons. The only other role is their role in trying to get to Lil Ze for not paying for the weapons, showing how the police are shown in a corrupt and none-present way in the Favelas. Even though the police may be corrupt in Brazil, there are still forces who work and fight every day throughout the Favelas, but these are not given a point of view in the film, denying it of realism.