10s Movie Review - The Hate U Give

Director: George Tillman Jr.
Genre: Drama/ Drama
Runtime: 133 minutes
Year: 2018
Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie, Common, Issa Rae, Algee Smith, Sabrina Carpenter, K.J. Apa, Dominique Fishback, Megan Lawless, Lamar Johnson, TJ Wright

Description: Starr (Amandla Stenberg) witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2024 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 31: A FILM WITH A COMING-OF-AGE STORY
 
Review: The Hate U Give forms the first half of the acronym “Thug Life, which was tattooed on rapper Tupac Shakur’s belly in the 1990s. In full, the acronym stands for “The Hate U Give Little Infants Fucks Everybody. In short, all the woes in society that underprivileged youths face at an early age will later pay off in only more hate. With the late rapper’s thoughts as the main motif, it should be clear that author Angie Thomas’ wildly successful debut novel is a lote more deeply politically engaged than the average teen novel. The film adaptation, let by and outstanging Amandla Stenberg, also manages to do that.

In the opening scene we see Starr and her family sitting at the table. Father Maverick gives them the talk about serious matter. How should they act when they come into contact with the police as black Americans? Overly protective perhaps, but the long list of incidents in which unarmed African-American men were killed by a police bullet in recent years alone shows that Maverick’s concern are by no means unfounded.

When Starr is 16, she has to use these lessons in practice, when she and her childhood friend Khalil are being pulled over by a cop. When Khalil is killed by this cop, Starr has to try and deal with this traumatic and it presents her with a diabolical dilemma. Will she fight for justice by acting as a key witness? Or is she better off staying far away from all the media hysteria and the inevitable hate reactions that come with it? And how will it affect her own reputation at her largely white school when she is suddenly associated in the news with a boy portrayed in the media as a dangerous drug dealer?

Amandla Stenberg, who plays Starr, is absolutely amazing. The young actress shows she has a lot of emotion and she can easily carry this story. I loved the supporting roles by Regina Hall and Russell Hornsby as well. The creators could have done a bit more with Issa Rae and Anthony Mackie’s characters though.

The film has a strong message, is emotional, powerful. I absolutely loved this movie, a different kind of coming-of-age story, but one that I will remember for a very long time.

Rating: 4,5/ 5