Underexposed masterpiece (La Haine (HD DVD))

Name: mpeh

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Product:	La Haine (HD DVD)
Date:	24/04/01 (186 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Clever, sublime, intense, incredible

Disadvantages: Underexposed, more people should see this film

Probably the best film I've ever seen. Set in Paris in the 1990's this film is about racial minorities difficulties in France and police brutality. The film is in French with English subtitles but that almost serves to make you concentrate on the dialogue more which is no bad thing.

The opening scenes are real footage of riots in Parisian suburbs spliced with scenes of involving the actors. There are three main charactrs who we follow and each represents a different reaction to the problems they face.

Showing how difficult it is to gain respect and any job let alone a good one as part of an ethnic minority in Paris (or any large city) the film follows the characters for the 24 hours after the riots in the opening scene.

As the film unfolds with grim certainty the impact slowly creeps up on you. This isn't a film that makes you go 'Oh wow' when you're watching it but really stuns you and when you sit back and think about it afterwards you realise just how good it really is.
I think the whole film is in black and white but I don't really remember which surely says something. The cinematography is kept simple and crisp which adds to the theatrical qualities of important scenes.

Nothing is over done, some things are cleverly and subtly understated making the explosive, brilliantly contained violence all the more harrowing and hard hitting.
The acting is sublime and all the characters are totally believable. The fact that the film is probably very accurate just serves to draw you into the situation even more in horrified disbelief.

An absolute stunner, go and see this film. Make sure you take someone you can talk to about it afterwards though you will want to. I need to see it again now.

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