| Go see it: La Haine |
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( 1 Vote ) The word ‘masterpiece’ probably doesn’t mean as much as it used to. In a world where someone who drinks a bit too much and does something embarrassing is known as a ‘legend’, we’ve clearly lost track of what actually constitutes something that is really, genuinely brilliant. Mathieu Kassovitz’s 1995 film is brilliant. When it was released, it made waves not just in France, but across Europe and beyond. It’s won a lot of very impressive sounding awards and for an unadvertised foreign film, has achieved commercial success in a number of countries around the world. It tells the story of a single day in the lives of Vinz (Vincent Cassel), Said (Said Taghmaoui) and Hubert (Hubert Koundé). It’s a film that has probably been described a million times as ‘gritty’, and it definitely does have its focus squarely on just how shit life can be in some of Paris’ housing projects. It almost feels like a documentary, what with its black and white cinematography, and the fact that the lead actors essentially seem to be playing exaggerated versions of themselves. Don’t let yourself think that this is another miserable, depressing arthouse movie. It’s stylish, funny, tense, musical and dramatic. It’s a film about young people that does not patronise its audience and dumb-down the story it’s telling. It makes you laugh and it makes you think. If you’ve not seen it before, or you’ve only had the chance to see it on DVD, go check out the screening at the BFI Southbank this week to experience this masterpiece (yes, masterpiece) in its full glory.
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