Police shootings have been a major issue with our society for a long time now. It has truly become a “hot button” issue that has blurred the lines of faith and justice to the point where guilt or innocence on both sides of an incident are questioned. Personally, I feel if it is not justified without a shadow of a doubt, there should be prosecution, but it has to be proven. With “The Hate U Give,” this subject is the focus of a story and how it affects people on different levels.
Directed by the man who helmed “Soul Food,” George Tillman, Jr., Amandla Stenberg (The Darkest Minds) plays Starr, who lives in a poor neighborhood with her parents and brothers. She and her siblings still are able to attend a private school, having them with a foot in two different worlds. While driving with a friend named Kahlil (Algee Smith), they are pulled over by the police which turns into a fatal confrontation. As the investigation goes on, Starr and her family struggle with the decision of whether or not to let her identity as a witness become public as both the community and the authorities have their relationship tested.
This film is shot well with a good cast overall that also features Regina Hall (Girls Trip) and Common (John Wick: Chapter 2). Stenberg impressed me with her run of emotions as the film went on, and could be recognized for it next year. She was just amazing.
The script here, but there are a couple of issues here for me. First, it is WAY too long at almost two hours and fifteen minutes and still felt like too many socially conscious issues were being crammed in. There are also some political shots that are taken here within a much larger political agenda that I felt were highly unnecessary. I understand that there is a target demographic that “The Hate U Give” is written for, but it is done at the expense of a much larger demographic. Personally, I cannot it good conscience watch this film again, but I would still recommend it for others to check out.