The Hate U Give * * * * 1/2
For most of this film I was on the edge of my seat, in awe of this beautiful shimmering, powerful drama. It was absolutely mesmerizing. Apparently it's made for the teen market, so that says a lot about me I guess. But seriously, good film making and good drama is secondary to the audience it is being aimed at - and this is good!
It's adapted from the best selling novel of the same name. One that I was not aware of - but I wasn't aware of Hunger Games until it was made into a movie. (Talking of Hunger Games the main character in T.H.U.G, Amandla Stenberg, also featured in Hunger Games).
The Hate U Give captivates you from the opening scene, when a father is teaching his children the survival skills they need if they are to be stopped by the police. Such is the quality of life in the neighborhood that Starr lives in. But Starr's mother is determined that life is going to be better for her daughter. So she sends her to another high school across town in an upper middle class area. Which leaves Starr with a foot in each camp.
One night she is out with a friend Khalil when a cop pull them over. Khalil is cheeky and not so ready to cooperate with the bombastic demands of the police officer. For that he is shot dead. He's innocent. He's done nothing wrong but that is the consequence of refusing to be servile. And no, I'm not giving a spoiler, it's in the trailer and in every synopsis of the story.
What happens after is the real story. The impact on Starr's life and the terrible realisation that she, her brothers, her parents, her friends, are no less a target than Khalil was, simply because they are black folk from a poor neighborhood.
Like anyone would be, she is traumatised by what has happened. She is also frightened. She doesn't want anyone to know she was the witness. To make a living Khalil had become associated with bad people and if Starr speaks out she'd be putting them in the frame. These are the kind of people who would harm her and her family. And who would she turn to then - the police?
Her relationship with her friends is strained, she questions her relationship with her white boyfriend. The protests by her white friends over the death of Khalil look like self righteous tokenism and an excuse for a day off. Eventually circumstance force Sixteen year old Starr to speak out, and what a roaring voice she becomes. Not just against the injustice of her friends death , but also the users and exploiters among her own people.
This is a beautiful, deeply moving, frightening and enthralling film. I'd give it the full five stars were it not for the too tidy and convenient wrap-up at the end. But heck, that is a minor disappointment in a superbly constructed story with a powerful message. It's a near perfect piece of drama, which you should simply not miss.
It's adapted from the best selling novel of the same name. One that I was not aware of - but I wasn't aware of Hunger Games until it was made into a movie. (Talking of Hunger Games the main character in T.H.U.G, Amandla Stenberg, also featured in Hunger Games).
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| Go get 'em Starr! |
One night she is out with a friend Khalil when a cop pull them over. Khalil is cheeky and not so ready to cooperate with the bombastic demands of the police officer. For that he is shot dead. He's innocent. He's done nothing wrong but that is the consequence of refusing to be servile. And no, I'm not giving a spoiler, it's in the trailer and in every synopsis of the story.
What happens after is the real story. The impact on Starr's life and the terrible realisation that she, her brothers, her parents, her friends, are no less a target than Khalil was, simply because they are black folk from a poor neighborhood.
Like anyone would be, she is traumatised by what has happened. She is also frightened. She doesn't want anyone to know she was the witness. To make a living Khalil had become associated with bad people and if Starr speaks out she'd be putting them in the frame. These are the kind of people who would harm her and her family. And who would she turn to then - the police?
Her relationship with her friends is strained, she questions her relationship with her white boyfriend. The protests by her white friends over the death of Khalil look like self righteous tokenism and an excuse for a day off. Eventually circumstance force Sixteen year old Starr to speak out, and what a roaring voice she becomes. Not just against the injustice of her friends death , but also the users and exploiters among her own people.
This is a beautiful, deeply moving, frightening and enthralling film. I'd give it the full five stars were it not for the too tidy and convenient wrap-up at the end. But heck, that is a minor disappointment in a superbly constructed story with a powerful message. It's a near perfect piece of drama, which you should simply not miss.
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