‘THE HATE U GIVE’, First-Friday Film at the Peace Center of Delaware Countty

Starr Carter is a teenager constantly moving 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 unarmed childhood best friend, Khalil, by a white police officer.

When it appears the cop might not be charged with a crime, Starr finds herself in the middle of an increasingly tense and ultimately dangerous dilemma. Facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what she believes to be right.

By the end of The Hate U Give, which leans heavily on Amandla Stenberg’s work as the smart, caring, and deeply conflicted teen, Starr suggests a radical change in attitude, perhaps meaning a change to the third word of the title – the “U.”  This is a story filled with immediacy and urgency as well as heart, soul, and love.

Richard Roeper, film critic for The Chicago Sun Times, says The Hate U Give’s director, George Tillman, has “an excellent touch for the quietly impactful scenes with Starr and her family, as well as the news footage-style depictions of marches and protests that go sideways, with tear gas flying in the air and cops pinning down protesters — as well as some protesters using the moment as an excuse to set cars on fire and destroy local businesses.”

Peter Bradshaw, film critic for The Guardian says simply “The Hate U Give has a fierce storytelling grip.”

THE HATE U GIVE 2018. 132 min. PG-13 (for mature thematic elements, some violent content, drug material, and language).  Directed by:George Tillman, Jr. Screenplay by Audrey Wells, based on The New York Times’ critically acclaimed  bestseller by Angie Thomas. Besides Amandla Stenberg, the film also stars Russell Hornsby, Regina Hall, Anthony Mackie, Issa Rae, and rapper-actor, Common