La Haine: analysis on Said, Vinz and Hubert

Wednesday 7th October

Said:
Said is looked upon as the leader of the group, it is fairly clear to the audience. However, later in the film it is made more of a fact rather than a thought as he was the only one to get arrested as he was viewed as the ring leader. He is filled with a lot of anger and resentment which is brewing because as he waits for a friend of his to die. His friend was badly beaten by a police officer - whom his friends and he refers to as "pigs" - due to the fact of his religion. Said could be considered a rebellious youth as we know he smokes marijuana, swears a lot and breaks the law, he is also unemployed and doesn't look as if he is aiming to get one.
We know Said has a sister as we meet her when she didn't go to school; this could suggest that the whole family has a rebellious attitude. Before this though, we knew he has a sister from the crude jokes his friends -Vinz and Hubert - made about her. This could show a close bond between the three boys as they can insult each other without it mattering.

Vinz:
Vinz has very similar character traits as Said, except he is far more careless in his actions and until the end doesn't realise that his actions could have extremely bad repercussions.
Without being told we can tell that Vinz doesn't come from a background of wealth. We know this because we go into his house. He is in an extended family structure, with his grandma cooking him meals and telling him what to do e.g. to go to the synagogue - by this we know he is Jewish. Vinz also has to share a bedroom with his sister, which could be considered weird or abnormal at the age they are both at.
Just like Said, Vinz could be considered a rebellious youth as similarly he is unemployed, smokes, swears and breaks the law; in addition, he also posses a gun and threatens to shoot people multiple times.


Hubert:
Hubert shows a lot more ambition and sense then the other two boys all through out the film, however it could be argued that he is brought down by his friends regularly.We know he has aspiration because it took him two years to get the grant for his gym - which unfortunately burnt down due to the riots. He didn't give up or get bored of waiting, he continued to try until it was successful. The two years of waiting for a grant to be given to him could be argued that it was because he was adolescence, furthermore, young people might now have been strongly trusted to be given things like grants.
As well as Vinz and more then likely Said, Hubert comes from a poor family, his mother cannot afford books to help her children study, and it is clear that she cannot pay her bills as Hubert provides money to help. This is another trait which suggests he is of higher sense and maturity than the other boys. It is almost as if Hubert has taken on the fatherly figure within his family as the film doesn't portray as whether or not his father is apart of that families lives.