Reframing the Periphery: Narrative Authority and Self-Reflexivity in Mathieu Kassovitz’s La Haine 1I gratefully acknowledge the support of Barbara Hanna, Juliana de Nooy, the UQ Arts article development scheme and the Nottingham-Trent University visiting scholars program in the preparation of this article.

Abstract

This article takes a narratological approach in examining how Mathieu Kassovitz’s La Haine (1995) establishes itself as an authoritative voice in framing the banlieue. It argues that framing is essential in establishing the film’s narrative authority, the idea that it is recounted from a position of experience. To do so, the film juggles two contradictory narrative impulses: a sense of critical distance which propels the film to its finale; and an emphasis on what Ross Chambers would call loiterliness, as the film tracks the wanderings of its trio of protagonists. By concentrating on three key storytelling sequences—the opening and closing voiceovers, as well as a story told by an elderly Jewish man which will be read self-reflexively—it will be argued that the key means through which the film adopts an insider’s perspective is through its affinity with Hubert, a character often overlooked in writing on the film.