"Narrative plays a significant role in communicating messages andvalues." To what extent is this evident in the films you have studied?[50 marks]

By studying both La Haine, Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995 and Pan's Labyrinth, Guillermo del Toro, 2006. I can understand that narrative helps to convey the message and values of the films.
Pan's Labyrinth is set in 1944, Spain, just after the Spanish Civil War. Spain is repressed by the Facist government, lead by Franco. Throughout the film, the oppression and conflict is conveyed by two main characters of opposing sides; Vidal and Mercedes/Mercedes' brother (the resistance).
A repressed state also exists in La Haine. We understand that there is conflict and oppression between two main groups; the government, agents of social control and middle class white Frenchmen vs. immigrants of a working class background.
Both films begin and end with an inflicted murder of an innocent. Pan's Labyrinth begins and ends with Ofelia's death. Ofelia is a very young girl who is damaged by the violent realism of the war and conflict that surrounds her. La Haine also begins and ends with a death, however this varies to Pan's Labyrinth as it is the murder of two different men; Abdel; whom we never actually meet, and Vinz;  a jewish boy who is 'accidentally' shot, both by members of the police. Therefore, Pan's Labyrinth and La Haine begin and end with a death; this incorporates a circular structure into the film, which therefore portrays the messages of the films; that this violent oppression is ongoing and reoccurring and that political change must occur in order for change.

Both films subvert the typical Hollywood narrative. By doing so, this makes the messages and values of the films more prominent and realistic. Both films are based in a historical period, therefore if the films were to adopt a classic Hollywood narrative, it would divert the audience away from the actual message(s) of the films. One way in which the films dismiss a classic Hollywood narrative is by not incorporating Torodov's Equilibrium Theory. Both Pan's Labyrinth and La Haine avoid the stereotypical state of equilibrium; at no one point do either of the films begin with the state of equilibrium. There is disruption throughout and no peaceful resolution. However, one may argue that, although subversively, Pan's Labyrinth does include the Equilibrium theory. We realise that Ofelia's equilibrium exists during her backstory with her father, and that this equilibrium is disrupted by the Fascists, (Vidal), who results in her death. Both the fairytale and realism war narrative is resolved; Ofelia being accepted into the underworld in the fairytale side of the story. However, the realism narrative is only resolved at the expense of Ofelia's death, caused by Vidal.
This however, juxtaposes with La Haine's structural narrative. Although the film also ends with a death, it is not at the expense of a resolution, as we soon see real footage of riots, this conveys that the oppression again is ongoing.

Because both of the films are based in historical events, we understand that the oppression and conflict is ongoing after the protagonist's deaths; that they were merely a symbol of the oppression, violence and conflict; their deaths did not cause the situation to come to an end. 

La Haine, however does follow some aspects of a Hollywood narrative by conforming to the cause and effect and character driven/ pyschological motivation. We understand at the beginning of the film, that the three boys have personal anger against the police, not just for their own oppression, but because their friend, Abdel has been shot by a policeman 'accidentally'. This results in the cause of the film as well as the character driven, pyschological motivation. Once the three boys find out that Abdel has died, Vinz, who vows to kill the policeman with the gun he found, finds that he cannot once he is given the opportunity. This then results in the main effect of the film; Vinz does not gain any good karma from this, resulting in a further effect of the film that is his death. This highlights the the audience the level of realism that exists in the film.  The cause and effect as well as the character driven motivation conveys he messages of the film. Intertwined with realism, it shows the lack of emotion and sympathy the oppressors show towards the oppressed group. We see Vinz's character develop into a mature, forgiving character towards the end of the film, compared to the hard, 'bad boy' persona he took on during the beginning. This helps the audience to sympathise and relate to the character of Vinz more as they have seen this development, however his sudden, unforgiving death reinforces the realism of the film, highlighting the message of oppression; to not be submissive and passive as this will not result in political change. 

Pan's Labyrinth takes a slightly different approach when analysing the use of cause and effect and character driven, pyschological motivation. If we view the film with two separate narratives, the realist narrative and the mysterical fairytale narrative, we the audience can understand this more clearly. Through the realist narrative, Ofelia is oppressed and does not have a say, therefore she does not have impact on cause and effect of the film, because of this she has no psychological motivation in the narrative. However, when she begins to have hallucinations we see her pyschological motivation develop which results in cause and effect. Once Ofelia is met with the Faun, she is told she must complete three tasks in order to gain her place as princess of the Labyrinth. This therefore is her focus in the rest of the film, which becomes her pyschological motivation. This results in Ofelia gaining a reason and voice, which becomes the cause of the film, this results in the main effects of the film; Ofelia's death. 

In my opinion, the way the cause and effect and pyschological motivation has been incorporated into this film in this way is to convey Ofelia's position in this fascist oppressive society, therefore conveying the message of the film, the effects of war and violence upon children. 

Pan's Labyrinth also subverts the stereotypical conventions of a war film, not only by incorporating the hallucinogenic fairytale aspect, but also because it follows an innocent child as it's protagonist. This, alongside the fairytale aspect portrays one of the messages of the film; the impact of war upon children and the idea of escapism.

Both Pan's Labyrinth and La Haine subvert the conventions of a classic Hollywood narrative in order to convey the messages of the film; the impact of war or violent oppression on youths and to not be passive if you want political change.




























http://www.ocr.org.uk/Images/82300-unit-f633-global-cinema-and-critical-perspectives-specimen.pdf