The Hate U Give

I watched this film at a Cineworld secret Unlimited screening on 8 October. I would like to say it was superb. But bearing in mind the subject matter, though it is an excellently made film, Powerful is more apt.

Without giving too much away, it highlights the divide and different attitudes from both sides of American colour.

I didn't know what to expect with this film, not even knowing the title. Well worth the time investment seeing it.

It was promising, but halfway it got lost into many messages it wanted to send. The performances were really strong, though.

I can't believe anyone could give this film a low rating for the right reasons. It deals with very intense issues yet it is gentle and nuanced where it is possible to be so and describes a teenager divided between two worlds, two communities, and most importantly, two separate identities. These divides leave her feeling helpless and uncertain.

The growth of the main character through difficult events (and the growth or stagnation of those around her) allow her to transcend this confusion and find her voice.

This movie also portrays the power of community to broker change when all members stop being afraid and pull together for the common good.

All these are very worthy themes for ourselves and our children to consider. Myself, it took me back to when I was pregnant with my third child in Los Angeles and I did a wonderful dance class. Trouble was, about every second week the class was late starting because he was randomly pulled over and interrogated under racial profiling policies. We were all disgusted and annoyed that our teacher who was gentle and creative was treated in this fashion yet we did nothing...... Shame on us......

Wow. Where do I start? I watch movie's of any type and genre If I think I will enjoy it and although (surprisingly) I had never heard of this film, it looked like one I might like. It had been on my planner for a couple of weeks and when I finally saw it I was blown away. I am a white male from a poor but not impoverished back ground, I have not experienced any of the events in the film nor do I know anyone who has, but I felt as though I was living the life of the main protagonist. The themes of unity and the situation of feeling like no one listens hit hard and the film worked wonderfully to illustrate how people at the bottom of the pile feel. Whether that be black, white or anything else. This film is not about one particular race over another it is purely about inequality in the structures around us.. I advise you give this film a watch and make up your own mind on what side of the fence you sit.

This is an incredibly topical movie that addresses some very important social and racial issues that plague the American society. My problem here is that everything in this movie is so black and white (pun intended) that it loses its connection with the real world and helps perpetuate some stereotypes that aren't helpful for anybody. Now, I don't pretend to have the solution for these issues but I also am not sure that these kind of movies have them either. By making everything so morally easy doesn't help educate people that are faced with much more ambiguous challenges in real life and, for me, if they had made the movie more morally challenging it would make for a much more interesting and nuanced story. For example, my favorite scene in the movie is the short dialogue between Starr and her uncle when he gives her the cops point of view on the whole situation, but even that scene ends with a morally easy way out. I think this story needed more of those kind of scenes, where they would explore the ambiguity of the real world, and then, even if ambiguous, build an ethical point of view to try and do the correct thing and thus spreading your message through much harder scrutiny. On a technical note I think the movie is really well made and Amandla Stenberg was a revelation for me, as they needed someone who could carry the movie and she does a tremendous job, conveying charisma, strength and kindness, a very large emotional range for such a young actress. All in all I do think this is a good movie, even if it's preaching to the choir, that needed a bit more grey in a whole lot of black and white.