[ad_1]
View 12 Items
DF-05926 – L-R: Russell Hornsby, Regina Hall, Amandla Stenberg, Twentieth Century Fox's THE HATE U GIVE. Photo Credit: Erika Doss.
"THE HATE U GIVE" – 3½ stars – Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Algee Smith, Lamar Johnson; PG-13 (mature thematic elements, some violent content, drug material and language); in general release
Like many films that address hot-button political topics, takeaways from "The Hate U Give" will be more likely to be more popular with the film's message than its objective quality. But George Tillman Jr.'s film is a better job, and a moving final should resonate with audiences regardless of opinion.
Based on Angie Thomas' best-selling YA novel – which hit the shelves just a year ago – "The Hate U Give" is the latest cinematic effort to address tensions between law enforcement and the black community. The story revolves around Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg), a teenage girl living a double life in Garden Heights, a predominantly black neighborhood in Georgia. Around the neighborhood, Starr speaks to the school.
Erika Doss, Twentieth Century Fox
Megan Lawless, left, Amandla Stenberg and Sabrina Carpenter star in "The Hate U Give."
To get her children away from the drug-afflicted Garden Heights, Starr's mother Lisa (Regina Hall) sends Starr and her brother Seven (Lamar Johnson) to an upscale Catholic school across town in a nearby white community. Here, Starr is surrounded by well-to-do, Hailey (Sabrina Carpenter), who adopts elements of black culture because they think it's cool drawing unwanted attention.
The men in her life contribute to this dynamic. Her father Maverick (Russell Hornsby) is a reformed gangbanger who now operates a local grocery store and teaches Starr and Seven Principles from the Black Panthers 10-point program. At the beginning of the film, Maverick gives the words "the talk," which consists of the proper protocols for police officers (for example, both hands on the dashboard).
Starr is afraid of her boyfriend Chris (K.J. Apa), and her friends are justified. Khalil (Algee Smith) who is dealing drugs for King (Anthony Mackie), the current boss of Maverick's old gang, the King Lords.
One night after a Garden Heights party goes bad, Starr and Khalil are pulled over by a white policeman. In a tragic misunderstanding, Khalil is shot and killed when he reaches home to grab a hairbrush. This site has not yet been released because of its potential for retaliation from King.
Erika Doss, Twentieth Century Fox
Amandla Stenberg's stars in "The Hate U Give."
Much of "The Hate U Give's" story follows Starr's gradual journey into activism, navigating pressures from her friends and family on both sides of her day-to-day life. The results are mostly predictable, save for one interesting dynamic: Starr's uncle Carlos (Common), a local cop who offers some valuable perspective from an otherwise unrepresented party.
Stenberg is in the lead role, and a final dynamic ends the film on a dramatic note. Because of its political and impassioned subject matter, "The Hate U Give" will have a tougher time swaying audiences rather than just reinforcing the views they came in with. But Tillman's effort is a thoughtful, well-made film and a moving effort to a complex issue.
"The Hate U Give" is rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements, some violent content, drug material and language; running time: 133 minutes.
[ad_2]
Source link
