The Hate U Give Is A Conversation We Need To Have

Khalil lived. As you digest George Tillman Jr.’s beautiful adaptation of Angie Thomas’ powerful novel, The Hate U Give, the most important memory we’re left with are those words. Khalil is not simply a fictional character in a feature film, senselessly gunned down by an overzealous police officer at a routine traffic stop. No, Khalil represents disenfranchised African-American men and women everywhere.

Do wrongful shootings occur in other neighborhoods, to other races? Of course. Does it happen to others so frequently they need to raise their children with a standard code-of-conduct for dealing with police officers as a life-saving measure? Not likely. Poor black communities, gangs, and law enforcement have shared a checkered past for many years, and The Hate U Give showcases each perspective fluidly while never abandoning its central theme.

The mesmerizing Amandla Stenberg headlines as Starr Carter, a young woman torn between the two worlds of her all-black neighborhood in Garden Heights, and Williamson’s predominately white prep school. Starr is a creature of culture, blending in seamlessly as she navigates society’s prescribed stereotypes. All of that changes when her best friend since childhood, Khalil, offers her a ride home after a party goes wrong. Minutes later, sirens and frustrations turn to tragedy as Khalil is taken from Starr’s life before her very eyes.

Confronted with the realization that her testimony to a grand jury could put her educational pursuits and standings at risk, as well as incur the wrath of Khalil’s drug lord boss, King, leaving Starr at a crossroads. If she does testify, it could place her future on the line and her family in danger. If she doesn’t, then who is she? Can she live with herself if her best friend’s memory is spit on and raked over the coals? The answers are within these frames, as we join Starr on her journey of self-discovery and personal truth.

Unlike typical reviews, I am skipping over the technical intricacies of the film. Pluses, minuses, etc. This is a great movie, through and through, and powerful performances abound. Instead, I’m using these words to IMPLORE you to not only see The Hate U Give as soon as possible, but to take your family and friends as well. Find those that you have had a deep-hearted philosophical discussion with in the past, or perhaps argued over this very topic, and hop on down to the cineplex.

The Hate U Give is an entertaining film, yes, but it is so much more than that. It is the very discussion America needs to have with itself. For all of the shouting, snide comments, fighting, and side-eye we toss at each other on a daily basis, few of us can seem to have a reasonable conversation on the absolutely dire topic this film covers. We as a country scream our opinions at the highest decibel, yet consistently fail to do the very thing necessary to learn and grow: we refuse to listen.

For years, I personally have abstained from this topic. Often for the reasons presented in the film, the conversation goes nowhere and typically ends in an altercation of sorts. So rather than discuss why black men and women are fearful of the police and feel persecuted NOR why so many officers feel threatened as well, I simply walked by it. The irony of that is – like Starr – as a kid I also walked a line between these two worlds.

For many years, my mother worked full-time and put herself through school, leaving me with my grandparents who lived across the street from the projects. Being poor but white, I lived the opposite racial experience as Starr, but I did witness the same occurrences described in the film quite regularly. I witnessed friends stopped on the streets and shook down for doing nothing more than walking, as well as knew others who never left home without a piece or narcotics. I knew dealers and peddlers who were – believe it or not – wonderful people outside of their vocation of choice, as well as a few you would cross the street to avoid. Likewise, I met officers who blatantly should not carry a badge or gun, and many more who wanted to protect and serve honorably before getting home safely to their families. Every person consists of layers. Yet, no matter who you happen to have a discussion on this topic with – and no matter what side of the debate you end up on – it never fails that passion spills into aggression and again we bounce back to the land of going nowhere.

And THAT is why The Hate U Give is so powerful. Yes, it has its central message, that taking a life without probable cause – even the life of a drug dealer – is inherently wrong. That systematic oppression is a cyclical trap and will ultimately result in blowback, as represented by Tupac’s “THUG LIFE” mantra. What Tillman Jr. also does, is present us with opposing points of view without ever once implying, “Hey, you’re an idiot for thinking this way.” Reasonable discussion points are contained in every scene of Audrey Wells’ wonderfully constructed screenplay. By the closing credits it becomes abundantly clear that George Tillman Jr. has little interest in solely feeding a specific perspective. No, he wants to bring everyone in and create a sustainable dialogue, a genuine conversation. He just wants everyone to listen.

Starr is a character everyone in the audience can empathize with. She’s charming, vibrant, confident, and flawed. As we watch her utilize her father’s methods for surviving a traffic stop, we never leave her world, her heart. Stenberg’s performance perfectly captures the audience by hand and – black or white – drops them in that car. We were not watching media footage on the news, we were watching our friend die before our eyes. We watched Khalil die for nothing.

And as Starr continues on her journey, our own blood boils, our light begins to shine, our voices find their passion. This is not a film preaching to the choir. Instead, it’s taking the hymns to the streets, a cinematic movement determined to spark a conversation in ANY neighborhood. It’s not often a film comes along that inspires us to simply be better. So find The Hate U Give, listen to the perspectives within, and then share your voice with the world.

Never forget that throughout our history there have been many men and women who wore the shoes of Khalil, and every single one of them has lived.