How far does the impact of the films you have studied for this topic depend on distinctive uses of film techniques? [35]

     Throughout La Haine's entirety, the use of editing is razor-sharp and blisters in order to constantly remind the audience that they are watching a realistic representation of French conflict. The recurring motif of a clock ticking which is cut to in separate parts of the narrative almost mirrors a bomb to foreshadow the upcoming disequilibrium. This technique could not only show the inevitability of violence within the urban underbelly of France, but also opens the theme of spiralling which overpowers Kassovitz's work. For instance, the camera consistently turns at a 180 or 360 degree angle. Found with significance when the trio are exiting Asterix's apartment and the camera rotates around a spiral staircase, its movements create an inescapable sense of queasiness. This is much like the cages known as banlieues which the central characters live within, alike to the cast and crew who accommodated here in order to become accepted into their environment. Kassovitz quoted that the layout of Paris is much "like escargot" due to its swirling streets, which reinforces how the characters dream to escape but always return and rotate as though they're stuck in violent machinery, portrayed through the cyclical narrative structure.

     Furthermore, a close-up of a rotating escalator is wooze-inducing and links with this theme. The mise-en-scene could be an analogy of the riots within France in today's society which have been circulating for years in the suburbs of Paris, and is the basis of the film. The escalator could be a metaphor for how the political system is never-ending, whilst everyone is just carried along on this rigid structure without question, despite the sickness of destruction it causes. From an illusory piece of Escher artwork within the mise-en-scene of Asterix's room to a close-up of a dancer spinning on his head, Kassovitz's use of constant circling represents the on-going and inescapable swirl of violence in France, and so creates impact as we are watching a social commentary that mirrors the reality of urban culture.

     This culture is saturated through the film's techniques in order to show the synthetic impact of America upon the gritty streets of France. When Vinz is first introduced, for example, he is acting out the renowned 'Are you talking to me?' sequence from Taxi Driver, snarling with his fingers in the shape of a gun to himself in the mirror. Not only does this show the decay of French tradition as the influence of pop culture shapes the characters, the motif of a gun signifies his desensitisation to violence due to the thrust of the media. The way in which Vinz is pointing this gun at himself, however, almost illustrates his conflict with his own Jewish identity, as there is a swelling racial divide within France which Kassovitz represents, perhaps inspired by how his Father was the son of a concentration camp survivor. A staggering over three hundred deaths in police custody occurred from 1980 to 1995 in relation to racism, the time of the film's production. This could explain why the film bites into the complex humanity behind this under class youth culture, as opposed to animals at 'Thoiry'; the iconic black and white used symbolising that this divide is corrupt and contains grey areas.