A scene from the film, “The Hate U Give” starring Amandla Stenberg and Algee Smith. Courtesy of TNS.
“The Hate U Give” is a movie adapted from the novel of the same name by Angie Thomas. The screenplay was written by the late Audrey Wells and directed by Georgie Tillerman. This movie sends an important and powerful message about an African-American teenage girl who witnesses the death of her best friend by a police officer and the struggles that stem from this experience.
The movie stars Amandla Stenberg as Starr Carter, a girl who leads a double life between her home in Garden Heights, a low-income and predominantly black neighborhood, and the predominantly white prep school she attends in Williamson — an upper-class neighborhood. The movie also features performances by Regina Hall, Common, Russell Hornsby, KJ Apa and Anthony Mackie.
The movie tackles the serious issues of racism, classism and police brutality in a fairly accurate depiction. The story captures the harsh reality that these issues carry.
The film was a moving tale that is relatable to a wide audience. Starr Carter struggles with the choice of either being silent about the death of her friend Khalil or speaking out about what she witnessed and becoming the face of the movement in her town.
The amazing performances from the entire cast fuel the moving message throughout the story, particularly Stenberg’s performance. The emotion she emits makes for a heart-wrenching and moving performance. The portrayal of this character will truly move you.
The soundtrack also elevated the movie and inspired the experience.
There were a few parts where the acting was noticeably lackluster, which resulted in some weaker scenes. Regardless, the overall movie was amazing. Every actor, including the supporting characters, gave a great performance. This movie has an important message that could have easily been lost by bad acting, but this film did exactly the opposite. The film is moving and, quite simply, amazing.
4.5/5
