A level French - La Haine - Les personnages

Hubert - le raisonneur

Black of African origin

Lives with Mother and sister

Only one who wants to leave the banlieue before it is too late ("J'en ai marre, il faut que je parte d'ici")

Calm and collected but sometimes see his aggressive and violent side when necessary

Tries to calm and reason with Vinz many times + disagrees about the gun (si tu etais alle a l'ecole tu saurais que la haine attire la haine".)

Thoughtful, mature and clear-headed

Deals drugs to porvide for family/mother - has been arrested before too ("je me suis arrete a temps")

Role models = sportsmen - Muhammad Ali

Passionate about boxing → uses it as an escape

First introduction = creates space for him and highlights the differences between him and the other two

Vinz - le violent

Jewish and lives with mother, grandmother and sister

Aggressive physically and verbally

Short temper + throws insults quickly

Impolite, vulgar + uncontrollable

Doesn't reflect on actions

Wants to appear as though he is a gangster

Mirror vs Taxi Driver

Wants to go to prison to prove himself

Thinks the gun is going to make him look like a big-man ("Avec un truc comme ca t'es le boss dans la cite")

Arrogant

Brags about exploits

Lives in a make-believe world

False identity: American bad boy with oversized ring, posters in his bedroom, mirror scene.

Dreams and hallucinations: cow, jewish dancing + killing a police officer

Scene with skinhead highlights that he is all talk, he is perceived as archetype of youths of estate - violent, drug-taking, aggressive and with no aims

First shot we see of Vinz is of him dancing in his dream

See him as the complete opposite of the character he tries to portray

Ridicules him and shows him as innocent

Said - le pacifique

Representative of the Beur/Maghreb community + the treatment of them

Many mentions within the film as well:

"un arabe dans un commissariat il ne tient pas plus d'une heure"

"tu veux etre le prochain rebeu a te faire fumer dans un commissariat?

Joker of the group: tells jokes + tries to relax the atmosphere (eg story of Batman and nun)

Brings a lighter side to the story and their lives - comic relief

Middle-man between Hubert and Vinz (toilets)

Has a more lax attitude to issues

Don't find out much about his family → opposite to the other two

Nordine = older brother

Has a sister

Strict family → might be based on reputation (Nordine doesn't want Said getting in trouble/in prison)

First shot: as he opens his eyes we seem him as a human being, not just a banlieusard

le trio

each of the three main characters represents an ethnic minority living on the estate.

An improbable trio?

friendship only created superficially to represent and encapsulate life on a typical estate.

Universal representation allowing all viewers to identify with the film.

Each one has their own identity and culture

But share common traits and can be seen as a unity.

Have to rely on fraternite as they don't have liberte or egalite

Products of the environment, living on the estate and sharing the same problems.

Affected by the same 'representation' + cant help but be labelled as being from the estate.

Darty

Friend of the trio

Owes money to Said

His car (all he ever owned) was burnt down during the riots

Astérix

Nordine, le frere aine de Said

Only appears in the scene on the roof but represents certain key ideas of the film

Only one who has the respect of the other youths during the scene

Recurring theme of authority + respect

Hierarchy within the cite based on age

Acts like a pseudo-parent figure looking out for Said but also disciplining him

Has pride in himself

Samir, le policier

A policeman BUT from the cite (straddles both worlds and encapsulates the two sides)

Helps the trio

Vinz and Hubert in the hospital when they are about to get arrested

Drives Vinz and Hubert to the police station when Said gets arrested

Wants to look out for the banlieusards → one of them

Tries to talk sense into Vinz in the car

Appears like a role model - succeeded in finding a job and earning respect from his peers

One of two positive representations of the police in the film → shown as understanding and helpful

Vinz doesn't respect him though

Doesn't shake his hand

Doesn't listen to him in the car

Abdel

The banlieusard who is injured in the riots but never appears on screen in person

Mentioned in the news reel at the start

In a coma in the hospital which is why the trio end up there

Representation of the gravity of the riots and police 'bavures'

Adds a tragic element to the film, showing how the outcomes of the riots are not insignificant

Shows the real aspects of the film

Congolese (Zaire) kid killed in Paris riots

Ways he's referred to give an impression of realism as well

Knock-on effects on other characters are important → hidden force in the film

Vinz wants to kill a cop because of what happened to Abdel

Hubert encourages Vinz to shoot the skinhead for Abdel ("allez, fais le pour Abdel").

Announcement of his death pushes Vinz' violence the final scenes

Notre-Dame

Plain-clothes officer (wearing a Notre-Dame varsity jacket)

First seen on the roof

Actions and mistakes in the final scene encapsulate what Kassovitz is trying to show: accidental deaths and police 'bavures'

Les journalistes et les habitants de la cite

Journalists show the relationship between the media and the cite

"on n'est pas a thoiry ici"

Other inhabitants show the co-lateral damage of events and social problems in the cites

Darty's car

Some guy's window

Les personnages féminins

Almost non-existent but those who are present are:

Vinz' family:

Sister

Mother

Grandmother

Hubert's family:

Sister

Mother

Said's family:

Sister

Shown being stereotypically "women"

At home, doing chores (e.g. Hubert's mother sewing and cooking)

Brotherly love for/protection of sisters

Vinz and Hubert care about their education

Kassovitz mentioned in an interview that the women of the cites are always someone's sister → personal and emotional attachments

Said doesn't seem to respect any women outside of his family

Gallery: talks about women as sexual objects + treats them disrespectfully

Rude and vulgar even though the women show him respect initially