The Hate U Give is based on Angie Thomas’ best-selling novel of the same name. Amandla Stenberg stars as Starr Carter, a high school girl who watches her friend shot by the police.
Here’s the film’s synopsis: “Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.”
After watching her innocent friend shot, Starr questions everything about her life. Justice, privilege, race – everything she thinks about and learns leads her to become an activist. “Find your voice, change the world,” is The Hate U Give’s tag line.
Also featured in the film are Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, KJ Apa, Algee Smith, Lamar Johnson, Issa Rae, Sabrina Carpenter, Common and Anthony Mackie.
The Hate U Give will be in theaters October 19, 2018. In this era of Black Lives Matter and so much unrest in the country over police actions and the politics of race and privilege, this film should be powerful and emotional. Hopefully, it will help change the world. It doesn’t seem that complicated to me, either.