La Haine – Un film macho?

1. La Haine – Un film macho? Lesson Objectives: In this lesson you will learn to analyse the macho and misogynistic elements of the film.

2. Absence of male authority figures. • The main characters are quasi-adolescent. • Absence of male figures common in banlieu and beur films. • Nordine – Saïd’s older brother • Samir – local beur cop • The drunk • All ineffectual

3. Heads of families. • All female • Aunts, mothers, grandmothers. • Society’s representatives are female • Newscaster , journalist

4. Infantile heroes • However, the heroes do not occupy the absent fathers’ place. • Live at home in state of perpetual adolescence, cultural discussions confined to childhood cartoons. • Attempt to steal a car, none can drive. • Scene where Saïd talks about sex with a woman – in a playground, under giant hippopotamus statue. • Scene in art gallery shows sexual and social ineptitude.

5. macho • They inhabit a testosterone- fuelled world • Boxing, guns, obscene language • Favourite insult “niquetamère” • Rap song in the car “mon esprit part en couille” • Vinz’s shaved head and leather jacket, Hubert’s fatigues all denote a macho world.

6. Impotent • Vinz can’t fire the gun – despite his Robert De Niro Taxi Driver impersonation. • They fail to steal the car. • Saïd at the end watches helplessly.

7. The women • Barely glimpsed • At home, cooking, sewing, doing the homework • On the rare occasions they appear in public, they are targets for crude aggression and unprovoked macho insults. • Saïd’s sister, the women in the art gallery. • Typical of banlieu and beur films • They are denied a role, none qualifies as a character. • Their relation to the males is purely biological and they do not participate in social issues.