The Hate U Give, a story written by Angie Thomas, was adapted as a movie and introduced to the public on October 5, 2018. Reviews have been praising the movie ever since it’s release, and it has been receiving largely positive feedback.

“The thing I liked about The Hate U Give is that the message is so important, and the author, Angie, wrote it so eloquently that it really captured my attention in a relatable way. I think a lot of teens avoid politics because the information involved is usually really dense, but the book and the movie used a lot of slang, and stuff people could relate to, especially because it was written from a teen’s perspective,” said Gali Hazan (‘21).

The plot follows 16-year old Starr, (played by Amandla Stenberg) who is an African American girl living in the low-income neighborhood Garden Heights.

Though Starr lives in a low-income area, her parents choose to send her to a rich, predominantly white high school, Williamson Prep. Starr feels uncomfortable being her true self at her high school, so she feels the need to adjust her personality to fit in.

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation

The main focus point of the movie was to support the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement. In the beginning of the movie, Starr witnesses one of her best friends getting shot by the hands of a white police officer. The plot that follows this scene displays Starr coping with his death and attempting to get justice.  

“Right now, with the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement going on, and there’s a lot of violence going on in the world, so I think [this movie] allows people to see what’s actually happening around them,” said Arvind Senthilkumar (‘22).

The movie is rated PG-13, as it deals with a lot of tough subjects to discuss, including police brutality, unjust law enforcement, racism, and more.

It currently has incredibly high ratings on most review sites. The Hate U Give received a 97% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, a popular movie review website. The movie included many popular, young actors, including Amandla Stenberg, K.J. Appa, and Sabrina Carpenter.

“I thought that it was really cool that KJ Appa was in it, from Riverdale. It was weird to see him with dark hair, though,” said Uma Maveli (‘21).

The main message of this movie is to bring awareness to police brutality, and to remind people that racism has not vanished from our country. Sadly, it is still incredibly present today.

“I would tell the police to stop what they are doing. Those people may have different colored skin, but they have they have the same heart as you!” said Jessica Gillette (‘20).

The Hate U Give displays an important message for young people and old, and is worth a trip to the movie theater.