Out of the three movies we have seen so far, La Haine, is by far the most striking film I have seen (in my opinion).
The situation that France deals with is depicted incredible accurately in this film that I thought it was a documentary for the first five minutes of it.
The black and white film used in the film give this anti-anachronistic vibe and it can be related to recent race riots in France in 2005.
I thought that the issues brought up in the movie still apply to France today. President Sarkozy has actually said that the French government (as well as the French Police) will start detaining illegal immigrants and deporting them as they see fit. He said something along the lines of, they have no place in French society. The French consider whiteness as French and ultimately European. To be non-white is to be marginalized in French society. I remember learning in French class that non-whites are frequently asked if they are "French"... The French still consider Europe to be ethnically "White". To overcome this racial marginalization, I think that all of Europe has to accept the fact that whiteness is not the social norm anymore. This is a world that is connected to each other economically and politically.
Michael Koh
Great observations on the film (I am glad that you found it so striking). I think that much of what you said in terms of France accepting the multiethnicity of Europe could be applied to the context of the United States as well.
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