The Hate U Give
By Sophia Fineza
I read Angie Thomas’s novel, The Hate u Give, last summer and really loved it. To me, it felt
like a great representation of the injustice of police brutality against African-Americans, and how it affects the youth of today. As a young Asian-American, my perspectives and experiences have been different. But if any of the events over the past several weeks has shown us, it is important to understand the perspectives and struggles of all races and ethnicities, but especially African-Americans. This is a group that has been purposefully marginalized for centuries, despite helping build this country and define its culture - a culture that is envied and imitated around the world. Although it was not a perfect copy of Angie Thomas’s novel, the film adaptation put its own spin on the final message of the story, 2Pac’s famous quote: “The Hate U Give Little Infants F*cks Everybody.” Some could argue that the movie took the plot in a different direction, but the key elements of the story were still there, and the underlying theme was the same - spreading hate will only lead to bad things happening. I almost think that the movie ending was more important than the book ending in some ways, showing the characters first hand how the growing hate would only end in tragedy, and how quickly it can affect an adolescent mind. The actors were all amazing in their roles, especially TJ Wright as Sekani. Although, I do have to admit it was a little weird seeing Anthony Mackie as an antagonist. Even though there were details and characters (where’s DeVante??? and Starr’s grandma??) left out, The Hate U Give was still a great film, and it’s a powerful and modern take on the horrors of police brutality that we still see in our country today.
logline: Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right.
Source: IMDb
My Favorite Characters:
TJ Wright as Sekani Carter - character DEVELOPMENT. At first, i thought he didn’t have nearly the role he had in the book, but towards the ending of the movie, his character was one of the most important in the movie. TJ Wright is a really good actor and shows an emotional range well beyond his years.
This movie is rated PG-13. Here’s why:
Mature Thematic Elements
Violent Content
Drug Material
Language
Fun Fact: The author of The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas made a cameo in the movie as the woman who hands Starr a t-shirt during the big protest.
Where to Watch:
Hulu or Amazon Prime with extension
Amazon Prime, YouTube, Google Play Store and Vudu for purchase
Image Source: Amazon