Directed by George Tillman, this movie focuses on the main character, Starr, and shares the reality of how people of color are mistreated and the effect it has on everyone. It does involve police brutality against people of color, but it also explores a variety of other themes, like one’s relationship with parents, friendships, and the role of the media in our world. From start to finish, this move was beautifully executed, and it will bring tears to almost anyone.

Actors Amandla Stenberg and Algee Smith brought their A-game, and viewers witness the anger, frustration, and confusion that transcended the theatre and into reality. It succeeds in depicting a serious issue.

-SPOILER-

This entire movie and book is about how Starr lives two different lives– one where she is herself with her black neighborhood and one where she has to turn into someone else because of a predominantly white school. She becomes outraged when she sees someone that she loves, Khalil, die in the hands of a cop because he had a hairbrush in his hands. The audience can understand the necessity of protests and news interviews of those involved. This societal issue is real and this is not just something that social media makes up. In the very end, Starr leaves us with a final question: “ How many of us do you have to kill to get the message?”

Racism has always and will forever be a controversial topic. Within the movie, there are several mentions of the famous protests known as #BlackLivesMatter vs.#BlueLivesMatter vs.#AllLivesMatter. Not only did this cause total chaos in the movie, but as well in my own classroom at Bob Jones. Students who were familiar with these movements shared their thoughts. Malachi Battle stated, “Blacklivesmatter is not saying that no other lives matter, but on the contrary, is saying black lives matter just as much as other races’ lives. The hashtag is present to represent police brutality, not just to say that black lives matter than others. “ Sophia Almanza had her own views. “Black people die at the hands of police. White people die at the hands of police. Asian people die at the hands of police. Hispanic people die at the hands of police. And, though many fail to mention, many police die at the hands of criminals of all races. I feel like the BLM movement has been doing more to create a divide among races and among citizens and law enforcement, so I do not support it. I think we need to have hope in each other and recognize that the majority of police and other law enforcement are on the side of safety and justice, which is the side of the people.”

Regardless of how anyone feels about the real life movements, we’re still reading books and watching movies about racism because it’s clear it hasn’t stopped. The Hate U Give will forever be a memorable movie, and I hope you find time to enjoy and learn from it.