The Hate U Give
2018 · Directed by George Tillman Jr.
Original language: English
- crime
- drama
The story
Raised in a poverty-stricken slum, a 16-year-old girl named Starr now attends a suburban prep school. After she witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed best friend, she's torn between her two very different worlds as she tries to speak her truth.
What it’s like
Warm domestic interiors alternate with hard, cool-toned street scenes: the Carter family kitchen and living room glow in amber lamplight and cluttered warmth, while the neighborhood of Garden Heights reads as grey dusk and flickering porch light, and the suburban school is bright, sterile daylight that makes Starr look conspicuously out of place. The camera stays close and conversational in intimate exchanges, then shifts to handheld, jolting movement during protests and confrontations, with crowds, sirens and smoke filling the frame. The score is restrained, mostly piano and low strings that swell at moments of grief and anger, and the sound design leans on ambient street noise and silence to let tension gather. Its vibe is urgent, raw and earnest, a heavy weight carried by a close family. It suits a focused evening rather than background viewing. Intensity is high: a fatal police shooting is shown on screen, with a brief, sudden burst of gunfire and a bloodied aftermath, and there are riot scenes, a threatening gang confrontation, drug-dealing, and frequent profanity, though there is no sexual content. Its pacing is steady and dialogue-driven, and its central arc follows a teenage girl learning to speak publicly about what she saw and to reconcile her two worlds. It is for viewers who want a serious, socially direct drama about race, identity and courage, with a grounded teen perspective.
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