The hate you give characters
THE HATE YOU GIVE CHARACTERS MOVIE
Starr knows what to look for in a boyfriend, and her relationship with Chris is complicated more by her efforts to navigate their differences than by anything he does.Īnd the movie skillfully weaves a number of genuinely laugh-out-loud scenes into its deadly serious story - like Chris trying to discern whether mac and cheese is a side dish or an entrée - in a way that gives the whole thing humanity. Maverick and Lisa love one another, and their kids learn what love looks like from their openly affectionate parents. The Hate U Give is a sobering story, but it’s shot through with romance and lightness too. And Starr is not only traumatized but conflicted: Does she speak up but risk attracting attention to herself and her family from the cops? Or - to make matters worse - when it turns out that Khalil was working with King in order to earn money for his family after his mother was diagnosed with cancer, should she worry about possibly snitching on King and bringing down the wrath of the King Lords on her family? The message of The Hate U Give works because its characters are richly drawn Khalil dies, sparking a national outrage. On the way, they’re pulled over by a cop who shoots Khalil, mistaking his hairbrush for a gun.
When a fight breaks out at the party, Khalil offers to take Starr home in his car. But they grew apart after Lisa enrolled Starr at Williamson, which happened following the death of Khalil and Starr’s other friend, Natasha.
Years earlier, before she started going to school at Williamson, Khalil was her first crush and her first kiss. One night Starr goes to a party in Garden Heights, where she sees her childhood friend Khalil (Algee Smith). Now he owns the local grocery store in Garden Heights. Maverick used to be King’s right-hand man, but got out of the gang after taking the rap for one of King’s crimes and spending three years in prison. Seven’s mother Iesha (Karan Kendrick) is the girlfriend of King (Anthony Mackie), who is also the head of a local gang, the King Lords. Her half-brother Seven (Lamar Johnson) and little brother Sekani (T.J. She lives with her father, Maverick (Russell Hornsby), and mother, Lisa (Regina Hall), who had her when they were 17 and have stayed together against the odds. Apa), who is certain that he is “colorblind.”īut at home, she can relax. As the only black girl in her class, she doesn’t want to be perceived as loud, aggressive, or difficult - even around her white best friend (Sabrina Carpenter) and her boyfriend, Chris (K.J. Starr candidly explains that she’s one version of herself in Garden Heights and another one entirely at Williamson. She lives in Garden Heights, a predominantly black neighborhood that’s home to more than its fair share of violence, but attends a mostly white private high school in another neighborhood called Williamson Prep. What makes The Hate U Give sing is that it’s told from the perspective of Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg, in an absolutely riveting performance), a black teenager who’s well aware of the specific complications of her life. The Hate U Give is about a black teenage girl finding her voice after tragedy And in never sacrificing either of those two interests, it becomes a strong example of both. But it strikes a perfect balance between being a coming-of-age story nestled in a family narrative on the one hand, and a social drama on the other. from a screenplay by Audrey Wells and with a truly outstanding cast, The Hate U Give has a great deal to say and no apologies to make about that, even as the film presents itself as a straightforward Hollywood drama. The Hate U Give is a stunning exception.ĭirected by George Tillman Jr.