Review of The Hate U Give (2018) by Nathan S — 20 Dec 2018

In a world packed with opinions shaped by media; News, social media, YouTube, etc. it can be hard to find an opinion that you feel has the evidence to back it up. The movie The Hate You Give directed by George Tillman Jr. is filled with opinions and views, some different but many the same. While all of the opinions presented are valid, the main view from Starr's perspective is overpowering and has great evidence to back it up. While the views of her uncle, a black police officer along with a man at a protest trying to get the protesters to calm down, are very poorly supported. Unfortunately, this can lead people to look at law enforcement as the enemy, as Starr played by Amandla Stenberg has a hard time understanding their views. This makes the movie a bit unrealistic because the poorly supported opinions do have good evidence to back them up outside of the movie. However, if you are able to acknowledge both sides, there is a great message that can definitely change the world.

The movie starts off with Starr introducing her community that she very regularly sees. Later on, Starr and childhood friend Khalil played by Algee Smith drive home from a party that was too dangerous to be at. Driving home, Khalil is pulled over for not using a turning signal. When he steps out of the car, he reaches back in to get a brush and see if his friend is ok. Starr tells him to follow the cops instructions so that both of them are safe. The cop ends up shooting him in fear of him reaching in the car for a gun. This makes Starr fight for justice for her friend who was killed right in front of her. Throughout her journey for justice, she encounters racism, drugs, family issues, and high school. She also has two "personalities" one at school and one at home. During the movie, she transitions between having these different personalities to only one that she is very happy with and shows her true self.

This movie includes a really great story that many people can relate to today. This is what makes it so empowering, the problems the characters face are problems people watching the movie might have faced too. So if you go to watch this breathtaking movie, keep the message in mind, whether you agree or disagree, acknowledge it, and try to understand it. That also goes for the less acknowledged opinions that are represented in the movie like those of Starr's uncle and the man trying to get people to calm down at a protest. My point is if you can acknowledge and understand all opinions in the movie you can really see the message.