The Hate U Give is a drama film based off the book written by Angie Thomas. Directed by George Tilman Jr. the cast includes Amanda Stenburg as Starr Carter, Regina Hall as Lisa Carter, Russel Hornsby as Maverick Carter, Algee Smith as Khalil and Anthony Mackie as King.
The movie starts out with a young African-American teenager growing up in a poor, predominantly black neighborhood and being educated in an upper-class, predominantly white high school. Whilst diving into her backstory, the movie simultaneously pushes forward in her storyline. One night, while hanging out with her distant childhood friend Khalil, they are pulled over by an officer and an unarmed teenager is shot.
This film is a beautiful commentary on social and racial issues plaguing many communities in the United States. It accepts controversy with African-American people and police with a head on approach, not dodging or shying away from any point of view for or against the arguments. Because of this, the film is a staple of progress. No argument feels misrepresented and the culture is truly laid bare due to the raw nature of its portrayal in the movie.
One thing that comes off in the film as truly different is the realistic portrayal of the black community as it’s seen through the eyes of people that are actually there.
The acting in this movie is phenomenal. The portrayals of each character makes them extremely real. The adult actors are superb as they play the loving parents, a feared drug dealer and a supportive police officer. Every aspect of every scene is nailed as they switch from, humorous, to grippingly emotional. The whole cast does an excellent job to push this superb film to the same quality of its story-telling.
