How Far Do The Films You Have Studied For This Topic Offer An Analysis Of Social Issues They Present?

How Far Do The Films You Have Studied For This Topic Offer An Analysis Of Social Issues They Present?

In the three films I have analysed they all seem to hold three constant running themes these being power, conflict and poverty, which evolves around each storyline. In the films they hold a constant social issue of having the confidence and ability to communicate with each other especially male to female issues of drugs appear in the films and change. All three films La Haine, City Of God and Chunking Express follow the lives of different cultures in different time periods to showcase the issues within urban stories in each of there own environment which becomes Westernised to change.

Chunking Express conveys an issue through visuals this films follows a linear storyline with flashbacks of character 663. This film showcases two stories of different characters living in Chunking Express. This story follows the issues of when China was being handed over back to the Chinese law 1997 showing how everyone is a product of their environment showing a culture dominated by a more powerful ideology being Western this is shown all through-out the mise-en-scene in the Chungking Express chip shop where we see an illuminated coke a cola drinks dispenser a counter separates 663 to the rest this counter also separates him from a romantic alliance due to the social conditions and upbringing. Chunking Express expresses that the society looks and is wanting to have an identity due to the westernised globalisation. This film shows the struggle with the cross roads between eastern and western cultures. In both stories we are shown the policemen have no name they are always referred to as their number, which represents the lack of identifying the film. Smudge Motion is a technique used through out this film as a form of art to express that the time is passing but the subject is at a standstill waiting for his future to approach him showing the time passing by. Time is used through- out all films, La Haine shows a 24 hour story where as City Of God uses time change between 60’s – 80’s where as Chunking Express doesn’t give an actual time and date we see clocks but are not given an exact date we know that it’s during the hand over due to the iconography of westernised props we see clocks to give a sense of time as low key lighting is used mainly in this film as it is mainly dark in Hong Kong which represents the claustrophobic confined areas in which they live in. ‘California Dreams’ is used as diegetic and non diegetic throughout this film which is a western song representing the characters wanting to live somewhere else and be in a western culture instead of eastern as they prefer it the mise-en-scene and location chosen to film shows an urban claustrophobic living conditions which contrasts with the location used in La Haine. Chunking Express doesn't as such offers an analysis of of social issues it is shown through representation and hidden meanings in the film.

La Haine is filmed in the projects of France this film follows the life of a group of youth which holds three characters, Vinz, Hubert and Said in the space of 24 hours showing the rioting in 1994-95 when the film was made showing how the media can show present youth as being useless criminals the rioters were happening when this was filmed the opening sequence shows anchorage of ‘to those who were killed in the riots’ a type writer font format was used to show a documentary view on the issue this is reinforced with the camera’s and televisions constantly used in the mise-en-scene in the background constantly reminding the characters and audience about the rioters and social issues. This film shows no farther figure in each of the family homes which can be shown as an issue as we see Hubert come back to his family home after selling drugs which the money is used to pay for the bills. La Haine shows intertextual issues with use of drugs and the corruption with gaining money and living the life and social issues of not holding a relationship with either sex as the film develops the separation of characters get progressively worse this is shown through positioning and camera angles. This film shows the poverty between Paris and the Projects this is shown through an extreme change of props. The group begin with the use of cannabis however this progresses to cocaine and also iconography of guns which are used in the film represent the difference in poverty. Each sector of the French flag is shown through each character being Liberty – Vinz , Fraternity – Said and Freedom being freedom we see this approach used in the way the characters are positioned and act around each other. An overhead remote control plane is used in this film attached is a camera this is to show the issues from a birds eye view of the projects passing through the neighbour hoods. La Haine again follows the same system as Chunking Express it welcomes us to the issue but gives no explanation as to why the issues are participating making us seek further information as to what happened when it was filmed La Haine definitely gives off the fact that its how the issues are represented and not given an analysis this is through the way media is shown straight from the beginning which clearly tells us that is about representation and offers no analysis.