*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr (Stenberg) now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, Khalil (Algee Smith) she’s torn between her two very different worlds as she tries to speak her truth.
Recently, it’s been hard to avoid the tragic news of a person of colour being murdered by racist white police officers, due to assumptions that they have a weapon when, in reality, they’re doing nothing wrong. The Hate U Give opens with Starr as a child being taught by her father, Maverick (Russell Hornsby), what to do if they are ever pulled over by a police officer. It made me sad to think that people of colour have become so used to this behaviour that they have to teach their children what to do in certain situations involving the police. After a fight breaks out at a party, Starr leaves with Khalil and, after driving and talking for a while, they are soon stopped by a police officer. Starr does what her father taught her and puts her hand on her dashboard, unfortunately, Khalil backchats to the officer who forces him out of the car. Unfortunately, when Khalil reaches for his brush, he is shot by the officer who assumed he was reaching for a gun. He tragically dies by Starr’s side and she is left traumatised by the experience. The story focuses on Starr and how she deals with the aftermath, including talking to investigators, speaking publicly on TV and in front of a Grand Jury.
The Hate U Give is not an easy watch, however, it is a film that needs to be seen. I watched this at a Secret Screening at my local cinema, which means the audience have no idea what they are seeing until the film begins. I think, beforehand, people were hoping for films such as First Man, Bohemian Rhapsody, Halloween or Bad Times At The El Royale, however, a few people were surprised when The Hate U Give was the film. This lead to a few people walking out which is unfortunate as they didn’t give the film a chance. The Hate U Give is a must see because of the important message it sends out. I felt uncomfortable at times but that’s because I was supposed to. Being white, I’m fortunate that I have never had to experience what people of colour have. I do wish it wasn’t this way though. People of colour have, unfortunately, been stereotyped as ‘gangsters’ and ‘thugs’, which is why the title is named The Hate U Give as it spells out THUG. However, people of colour are human beings and should be treated the same as everyone else.
What I like most about The Hate U Give was how real and raw it was. There’s no happy ending and not every problem in the film gets resolved. In the beginning, Starr has a friend, Hailey (Sabrina Carpenter), and she seems like a nice person. However, she makes a comment regarding the police officer and how she feels sorry for him and his family and this offends Starr. This tends to be the case when a person of colour is shot by a police officer is that the people tend to sympathise with the officer rather than the victim, which is wrong. If the victim wasn’t doing anything wrong and was innocent, then we should be feeling for them and their family and friends. I find it shocking that, in this day and age, prejudice and discrimination against people of colour is still a major issue. I also was shocked to discover that, despite Starr raising her voice and speaking out against the injustice, the police officer who shot Khalil receives no punishment and that is the reality of today’s society. It is unbelievable to think that a police officer can murder an innocent person just because of their position. In the beginning, I expected the film to have a 'happy ending' where the police officer receives punishment for what he did and Hailey apologises to Starr and they repair their friendship. However, this didn't happen and I'm glad that The Hate U Give ended this way as it proves that no every story has a happy ending.
I think that it's safe to say that The Hate U Give is not for the faint hearted. However, it is definitely a must-see as it sends out a very powerful message that is executed through its gripping story and unforgettable scenes. The scene involving the police officer and Khalil is very intense as, although we know what's going to happen, it still leaves viewers on the edge of their seats. The racism doesn't end there as, throughout the film, we see what people of colour have to experience. For instance, when Starr is at a diner with her parents and brothers, a fight breaks out between the King (Anthony Mackie), who is a drug lord, and Starr's father, Maverick. After King escapes, the police turn up and immediately handcuff Maverick without knowing the situation or who started the fight. At this point, I feared for Maverick's life as I thought that he was going to get shot. Fortunately, Starr takes action by recording the scene on her phone, with many witnesses following suit. This leads to the police releasing Maverick and leaving. Many of the scenes in The Hate U Give are shocking and, at times, disturbing, however, it's no different to what we see reported on the news.
While The Hate U Give has a rating of 12A (PG-13 in the US), there's no target audience. It's a film that everyone should see, no matter their race, skin colour, gender or background. I think that this is why my local cinema chose to show this as part of their Secret Screening as they want it to be seen as many people as possible. Since the Secret Screening last month, some people mentioned how they walked out after five or ten minutes which is really unfair as they barely gave the film a chance. I saw the trailer for The Hate U Give and I wasn't planning on seeing it, however, I'm glad I watched it as it proved to be a thought provoking and gripping watch. It was brilliantly acted, the story was well-written and has solid directing from George Tillman Jr. It did have an average opening, with Starr narrating and it did seem like it was going to come across your typical Young Adult film, however, the story developed in something more powerful. If The Hate U Give isn't on your watchlist, then it should be.
Aside from its powerful story, the most impressive aspect of The Hate U Give was the acting. Recently, Stenberg has appeared in films such as The Darkest Minds and Everything, Everything, however, she’s probably best known for portraying Rue in The Hunger Games in 2012. As Starr, Stenberg proves how much she’s matured and grown as an actress as she gives a strong performance. She has definitely proven herself to be capable of taking on dramatic and serious roles. While the supporting cast all give impressive dramatic performances, including Regina Hall and Russell Hornsby as Starr’s parents, it is Stenberg who leaves a lasting impression.
The hard-hitting The Hate U Give emphatically proves the YA genre has room for much more than magic and romance and is led by a breakout turn from Amandla Stenberg.
8/10
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