'Love + Hate' Questions

For 13C & 13D students...

The following (except the 'Activities' section) need to be completed - on paper - by your first lesson next week (either Tuesday 08-11 or Wednesday 09-11).

Before watching the film –

• Consider films you are familiar with which deal with the representation of young people in Britain who come from the ethnic minorities. What is the historical, social and cultural context to these films? How relevant are they in contributing to our understanding of contemporary British society?

• Think about and list the many adaptations of ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Think about the recurring themes and the many ways that this classic story has been adapted.

When watching the film –

• Think about the effectiveness of the use of location and settings in establishing scene. Why is the setting for this film left as an ambiguous town in Northern Britain?

• How are stereotypes used and broken in this film?

• The film-makers wanted to capture the culture of each community but also the segregation of the town as a whole. Consider the ways in which this is represented throughout the film.

• Music performs a symbolic purpose in the text. Identify some scenes to discuss their significance to the film’s overall meanings.

• The film highlights many hypocrisies in all areas of the communities it shows. Provide examples from specific scenes.

After watching the film –

• Love + Hate looks at the representation of women (through its portrayal of one young woman) in the Muslim community in Britain. Consider how the filmmakers convey Naseema’s role through her dress code. What is the significance of dress codes, both to Naseema’s experiences and to the film as a whole? Consider as well the dress codes of both Naseema’s sister and best friend. How does this inform the audience about their characters?

• The Iraq War and Bush’s ‘War on Terror’ is central to the narrative development. Discuss its overall impact on the tensions displayed throughout the film.

• How far does the film explore the tension between the younger and older generation of Muslims, in the light of the wider political and international developments?

• This film was made before the London bombings of 7/7. Discuss how the films characters and themes have either gained or lost relevance since this event.

• Look at the review of the film. Do you agree or disagree with the authors feelings towards the film.

Activities

• Map the narrative development in the film. Does it provide the audience with a satisfactory ending? What ‘resolution’ is there for Naseema? For other characters?

• Find out about the narrative theories of Claude Levi-Strauss. How far is it possible to relate his ideas of ‘binary opposites’ to the issues of representation in the film?

• There have been many films in British cinema over the last two decades which deal with young people and especially women living in their own culture and also in British culture. Research some of these and write a review highlighting the representation of either generational conflict, or the role of women (see Useful films for comparison, below)

• Earlier this month Trevor Phillips, the head of the Commission for Racial Equality claimed that Britain is ‘sleepwalking to segregation’. How does Love + Hate either confirm or disparage this statement.

• Write an article for your school or college bulletin/ magazine. Make the central theme a debate whereby you highlight how the film Love + Hate can assist in counteracting some of the ‘hysteria’ and ‘paranoia’ against the Muslim community. Discuss aspects of race and racism and how the film draws the audience’s attention to these within the contemporary Iraq War/ War on terror context.

Useful films for comparison

My Beautiful Launderette (Dir Stephen Frears/UK 1985)
Bhaji on the Beach (Dir Gurinder Chadha/ UK 1993)
My Son the Fanatic (Dir Udayan Prasad/ UK-France 1997)
East is East (Dir Damien O’Donnell/UK 1999)
Anita and Me (Dir Metin Huseyin/ UK 2002)
Bend it Like Beckham (Dir Gurinder Chadha/ UK-Germany 2002)
Ae Fond Kiss (Dir Ken Loach UK-Belgium 2004)
Bride and Prejudice (Dir Gurinder Chadha/ UK/US 2004)
Romeo and Juliet (Dir Baz Luhrmann/ USA/ 1996)