The Hate U Give (2018)
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A high school student must find her voice after her friend is killed in a controversial police shooting.
The story
Starr Carter is a 16-year-old African-American girl who lives in the predominantly black neighborhood of Garden Heights and attends a predominantly white private school called Williamson Prep. After a firearm is discharged at a party Starr is attending, she is driven home by her best friend, Khalil. They are stopped by a police officer for failing to signal at a lane change. The officer, Brian MacIntosh Jr., orders Khalil to exit the car. When Khalil reaches through the driver side window to pull out a hairbrush, MacIntosh incorrectly assumes he pulled out a gun and shoots Khalil, killing him. Starr is then taken into custody and becomes the sole witness to the incident.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Starr Carter, a 16-year-old African-American girl living in Garden Heights and attending Williamson Prep, witnesses her friend Khalil being fatally shot by Officer Brian MacIntosh Jr. after a traffic stop. While the incident becomes a national news story and sparks protests against racial injustice, Starr's identity as the witness is initially kept secret. She eventually agrees to be interviewed on television and testify before a grand jury. During her interview, she identifies the King Lords, a local gang, leading them to threaten her and her family. Her family moves in with her Uncle Carlos, a detective. Her father, Maverick, who was previously in prison for a crime he confessed to, now runs a local grocery store. After a grand jury fails to indict MacIntish, the community erupts into protests and riots. Starr takes a public role in the movement, causing tension with her school friends, particularly her boyfriend Chris. While Starr and her half-brother Seven are trapped in their family's grocery store during a fire-bombing by the King Lords, they are rescued by Maverick and other local business owners. The community eventually stands up against the gang leader, King, who is arrested. Starr vows to keep Khalil's memory alive and continue her advocacy against police violence.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 133
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- George Tillman Jr.
- Writers
- Audrey Wells · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Amandla Stenberg · Starr Carter; Regina Hall · Lisa Carter; Russell Hornsby · Maverick Carter; Lamar Johnson · Seven Carter; Issa Rae · April Ofrah; KJ Apa · Chris Bryant; Common · Carlos; Anthony Mackie · King; Dominique Fishback · Kenya; Sabrina Carpenter · Hailey Grant; Megan Lawless · Maya Yang; TJ Wright · Sekani Carter
- Genres
- coming-of-age; teen drama
- Themes
- racial injustice; police violence; finding one's voice; community activism
- Tone and mood
- serious; tense; poignant
- Setting
- Garden Heights and a private school, contemporary period.
- Premise and plot tags
- social justice; teen drama; coming-of-age
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2017 young adult novel by Angie Thomas
- Reception
- The film received critical acclaim, with praise specifically for Amandla Stenberg's performance.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 81 · scale: 100 · review count: 44; CinemaScore · score: A+ · scale: A+ to F; PostTrak · score: 88% · scale: percentage
- Awards and nominations
- NAACP Image Award · Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture · win; Critics' Choice Award · Best Young Performer · nomination
- Production trivia
- The screenplay was written by Audrey Wells, who died one day before the film's release.; The film's title and cover are a tribute to the book it is based on.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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