Spaces and Places - Political Commentary in La Haine

The film La Haine uses setting as an integeral force that shapes its characters lives, identities, and conflicts. Themes of marginalization, social inequality, and alienation are emphasized through the contrast of the banlieue and central Paris, using spaces and places as tools for both narrative and political commentary of socioeconomic issues to show both physical and symbolic boundaries separating the spaces.  

The architecture of the banlieue depicts isolation and reflects how the residents are excluded from mainstream French society.

While the characters’ journey to central Paris demonstrates their alienation in this space highlighting the social and cultural disconnect.

At the same time the banlieue and Paris are contrasted visually and narratively emphasizing themes of inequality.

The film uses confined and oppressive spaces to create tension and show societal constraints, certain camera angles and long takes to emphasize spatial dynamics evoking feelings of entrapment and division, and black-and-white cinematography to convey alienation inside urban spaces