The Hate U Give Review
Happy Black History month! (honestly we should be paying respect to black history and for that matter, women's history every month, but I thought I might as well post this review for the occasion)
You know, sometimes when you watch films and review them for a hobby, every now and then, you find a film that makes you rework your priorities for the reviews you need to get in. As of writing this sentence, I watched The Hate U Give last night (wow, I wrote that a while ago) and it provoked so many thoughts and emotions that I had to put all other posts that I was writing on hold and focus on this film. For those wondering, I have started reviews for a Robert Redford film, The Old Man & the Gun and the Watership Down miniseries on Netflix. Spoiler alert: I thought both of them were good and I'll make sure to finish at least one of the reviews (if any, it's probably Old Man). But I really need to talk about this one first.
Also, a heads up for you readers, this review is about a film that deals with the very rough and even disturbing topic of racially-biased cop killings. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, I understand and I'd advise you to leave this post. Otherwise, I do recommend you hear about this movie, because I think it's very relevant in today's climate.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: YA movies are bad. At least the standard that Hollywood has set for these movies is bad. There's a couple of franchises that are decent: Hunger Games and Maze Runner come to mind for me. But even then, there are films in both franchises that are so, so weak. And then you have the bad ones. There are so many of these that I've actually reviewed two of the worst on my site: The Darkest Minds and A Wrinkle in Time. There are so many of these awful, forgettable films that most people think the YA genre has to be one of these bad sci-fi movies. In reality, they are products targeted towards teens, generally with a teenage character as a the lead. So basically, that could be anything; Hollywood is just convinced that these movies have to be some stupid sci-fi romance flick without anything substantial to bring to the table. It's perfectly fine if you like all of these movies, but I think it's hard to deny that these films are the exact same thing every time. But what if one of these films actually had a goal and a message? What if one of them was created to be relevant today rather than in 2012 (the year these movies were arguably the most popular)? The Hate U Give aims to answer both of those questions and more. And, in my opinion, they knocked it out of the park.
I was actually surprised about how far this movie went to provide a truly thought-provoking experience, one that was actually more so in attempting to do this than many of the adult-targeted films I watched in 2018. If you're wondering what the film is mostly about, I'll tell you real quick. It's about Starr (played by future superstar, Amandla Stenberg), a black teen who lives a predominately black neighborhood called Garden Heights and goes to a predominately white prep-school. After going to a party, her childhood friend Khalil drives her home and is eventually pulled over by a cop for no apparent reason. After leaning into the car to check how Starr's doing, he grabs a hairbrush and is almost immediately shot in the chest by the cop. Basically, the rest of the film analyses the effect that this horrific event has on Starr and her family, along her fear of what will happen when she is revealed to be the sole witness of this murder. That's as far as I will go. I recommend you watch it for yourself to see how it plays out.
When you actually see the event in question, even though you know what's going to happen, the scene is incredibly jarring. The two shots are fired without any warning and without any clear reason, which makes the scene (along with Starr's reaction) feel so real. And it's even more disturbing to think about how events like this have occurred many times over the years, many of them for eerily similar and stupid reasons. Reminds me of a very poignant quote from the film: "It's the same story, but a different name." The Hate U Give managed to invoke this sense for me throughout the rest of the duration. It's essentially a portrayal of the sickening but ever-present racism that exists in America and the story also makes sure to show that it goes beyond some police officers who abuse their authority: it can be anywhere and it wrecks people emotionally. In fact, the title is meant represent just that: it comes from Tupac's acronym for THUG LIFE, or "The Hate U Give Little Infants (bleep)s Everyone". Despite the profanity, I think it's well said. Giving hate towards someone because of race is frankly illogical, and receiving that at a young age can really change one's view of the world. And yet again, despite the fact that this is a film targeting the non-demanding YA crowd, it does not hold back in presenting a brutal depiction of these shootings and the fallout that follows. And man, did this movie hit me hard. I didn't cry while watching this movie, but it almost happened a couple times in the film. I just really appreciate how the filmmakers used the YA tag, the go-to tag for completely vapid dumpster fires, to deliver something more challenging for an audience that needs more films like that. It's a movie that allows room for interpretation, yet it's also not afraid to tell it like it is.
For those of you think this sounds like an overly depressing film with a pessimistic tone, I have to inform that it is actually the polar opposite. It is indeed a rough film to watch, but it's ultimately optimistic about life and even pretty funny when it needs to be. Basically, it maintains a mindset that life can suck sometimes, but you can get through it with the people they care about the most. The scenes where Starr interact with her family notably have a warmer feel and a lighter tone. In fact, the camerawork is used expertly convey this: whenever Starr is at school, the lighting is all blue and somber, which heavily contrasts the brighter lighting that is used while she's in Garden Heights. And again, the movie is really, really funny when it's trying to be. The humor feels right when it is implemented and not forced, which was something I really dug. It's not overly depressing, yet it knows when to get serious.
Finally, let's get into the other aspects of the movie real quick before I wrap it up. The acting is astounding from all cast members. Regina Hall and Russel Hornsby both did a great job as Starr's parents and Anthony Mackie had a surprisingly good turn as a villain, which is something I don't think I've ever seen him do (the closest was The Adjustment Bureau, but even then, he was the nice adjuster). Heck, even the dude from Riverdale (which I do NOT watch) was pretty as Starr's goofball boyfriend who ultimately has a good heart. But let's be honest, the real starr of this movie is Amandla Stenberg. Listen, after watching that ghastly YA movie that also happened to star Amandla Stenberg, The Darkest Minds, I knew that this girl has some real talent: her manager doesn't however. But finally, he or she got Amandla the role she needed in order show everyone the full extent of her talent, and boy, did she shine in this role. I think this is the film that gave Amandla the attention she deserved, and we're probably going to see her in a lot more roles that suit her talent. Although I have a ton of positives for this movie, I do have one little nitpick: why is there narration? Like honestly, I don't think there's any other critique I'd have other than that. This movie really clicked with me. But why did you have to put on-and-off narration in the movie? Don't tell: show. It just felt forced to me. But anyways, ya'll have got to watch this.
SCORE: 10/10
Through its immensely thought-provoking and riveting story, anchored by incredible performances, The Hate U Give is easily one of my favorite films of 2018.
When you actually see the event in question, even though you know what's going to happen, the scene is incredibly jarring. The two shots are fired without any warning and without any clear reason, which makes the scene (along with Starr's reaction) feel so real. And it's even more disturbing to think about how events like this have occurred many times over the years, many of them for eerily similar and stupid reasons. Reminds me of a very poignant quote from the film: "It's the same story, but a different name." The Hate U Give managed to invoke this sense for me throughout the rest of the duration. It's essentially a portrayal of the sickening but ever-present racism that exists in America and the story also makes sure to show that it goes beyond some police officers who abuse their authority: it can be anywhere and it wrecks people emotionally. In fact, the title is meant represent just that: it comes from Tupac's acronym for THUG LIFE, or "The Hate U Give Little Infants (bleep)s Everyone". Despite the profanity, I think it's well said. Giving hate towards someone because of race is frankly illogical, and receiving that at a young age can really change one's view of the world. And yet again, despite the fact that this is a film targeting the non-demanding YA crowd, it does not hold back in presenting a brutal depiction of these shootings and the fallout that follows. And man, did this movie hit me hard. I didn't cry while watching this movie, but it almost happened a couple times in the film. I just really appreciate how the filmmakers used the YA tag, the go-to tag for completely vapid dumpster fires, to deliver something more challenging for an audience that needs more films like that. It's a movie that allows room for interpretation, yet it's also not afraid to tell it like it is.
For those of you think this sounds like an overly depressing film with a pessimistic tone, I have to inform that it is actually the polar opposite. It is indeed a rough film to watch, but it's ultimately optimistic about life and even pretty funny when it needs to be. Basically, it maintains a mindset that life can suck sometimes, but you can get through it with the people they care about the most. The scenes where Starr interact with her family notably have a warmer feel and a lighter tone. In fact, the camerawork is used expertly convey this: whenever Starr is at school, the lighting is all blue and somber, which heavily contrasts the brighter lighting that is used while she's in Garden Heights. And again, the movie is really, really funny when it's trying to be. The humor feels right when it is implemented and not forced, which was something I really dug. It's not overly depressing, yet it knows when to get serious.
Finally, let's get into the other aspects of the movie real quick before I wrap it up. The acting is astounding from all cast members. Regina Hall and Russel Hornsby both did a great job as Starr's parents and Anthony Mackie had a surprisingly good turn as a villain, which is something I don't think I've ever seen him do (the closest was The Adjustment Bureau, but even then, he was the nice adjuster). Heck, even the dude from Riverdale (which I do NOT watch) was pretty as Starr's goofball boyfriend who ultimately has a good heart. But let's be honest, the real starr of this movie is Amandla Stenberg. Listen, after watching that ghastly YA movie that also happened to star Amandla Stenberg, The Darkest Minds, I knew that this girl has some real talent: her manager doesn't however. But finally, he or she got Amandla the role she needed in order show everyone the full extent of her talent, and boy, did she shine in this role. I think this is the film that gave Amandla the attention she deserved, and we're probably going to see her in a lot more roles that suit her talent. Although I have a ton of positives for this movie, I do have one little nitpick: why is there narration? Like honestly, I don't think there's any other critique I'd have other than that. This movie really clicked with me. But why did you have to put on-and-off narration in the movie? Don't tell: show. It just felt forced to me. But anyways, ya'll have got to watch this.
SCORE: 10/10
Through its immensely thought-provoking and riveting story, anchored by incredible performances, The Hate U Give is easily one of my favorite films of 2018.
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