The Hate U Give

By: Arlene Allen

The story of The Hate U Give could have been ripped from today’s headlines. It’s about a young unarmed black man (Algee Smith) shot by a white cop. His lifelong friend Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) was with him and a witness. Based on the bestselling book by Angie Thomas and screen written by Thomas and the late screenwriter Audrey Wells, this is a gut punch of a film, a wakeup call for filmgoers and those who don’t understand what is happening across the USA today.

Starr has to navigate between two worlds: the one she grew up and lives in, the underprivileged black neighborhood, and the almost all white private school she attends. In school she is “Starr 2.0” – she doesn’t use black slang (although her white friends do, which is cringe-worthy) and she’s dating prep boy Chris (K.J. Apa of “Riverdale”). With the shooting, both worlds collide. There are those who want to keep Starr an anonymous witness and there are those who urge her to come forward and use her voice for positive change.

Her father, Maverick ‘Mav’ Carter (Russell Hornsby), is a former gang member and served time in prison to cover for King (Anthony Mackie). He now runs the community’s general store while King is still ruling the streets. Mav works hard to keep his children on the straight and narrow while educating them on the realities of being black in America. Khalil (Smith) was working for King to save money to pay for his grandmother’s cancer treatment. After his death, the press uses this to attempt to justify the shooting – just as we read in real life newspapers.

The film is full of contrasts – black lives, white privilege; family life, gang life. The title comes from the late Tupac – “the hate u give little infants F’s Everyone” and director George Tillman, Jr. (Notorious) makes sure we see how true this is and how everyone – black and white – are affected by the violence happening in our country daily. He also brings out the best in every actor in the film. Stenberg is amazing as the conflicted Starr and Hornsby (“Grimm”) nearly steals the film with his from the heart, passionate performance. Apa surprises with a performance that pulls him out of “Archie” typecasting.  The film doesn’t shy away from gang and drug problems that plague communities across America and the wider world. Hopefully, this film will raise and change dialog across a growing divide in this country.

The soundtrack to this film is equally evocative. Bobby Sessions, who wrote the title song “The Hate U Give,” lost a family member to police violence himself. Working on the film’s music was a deeply personal experience for him and it’s evidenced in the way the music is placed within the film. UK based singer Arlissa sings the title cut and in her voice you can hear her identification with Starr (It feels like Starr herself is singing Sessions’ words).

Rarely is a movie better than its source material, but such is the case with Wells and Thomas’s screenplay. Little visual touches raise an already excellent story into a work of masterful film. It never shies away from the hard questions and encourages filmgoers to look for their own answers. The cinematography emphasizes the contrast between Starr’s two worlds.

I fully expect to see this film nominated for many Oscars for acting, screenwriting and directing. Sadly, screenwriter Wells passed away from cancer the day before the film was released and never got to see the harsh tragic and beautiful piece she co-created.

The Hate U Give is not easy viewing, but I encourage people to see it. This film may be exactly what we need to change dialog in homes across America today.