The Hate You Give movie was released on October 5th and scored a 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.

When the movie came out, my friends and I went to go see it opening night. The movie, like the book, dealt with the same racial and police brutality issues as the book, and felt just as powerful and emotional.

There were a few differences from the movie and the book, but they didn’t take away from the overall message of the story.

One difference is the scene where Starr has a conversation with her uncle in the book she tells him about the cop pointing a weapon at her. In in the film, they completely cut this scene out.

All of the actors were casted to fit their characters descriptions and portrayed struggles each faced. Amandla Stenberg played the main character, Starr, and did an amazing job depicting a young African-American girl fighting with her moral character.

Starr had to choose between fighting for what she believes in and her deceased friend Khalil or blending in with her predominantly white school and friends. The audience can very clearly see the internal conflict Starr goes through, as well as the external conflicts she has with her family, school, friends, and neighborhood.

Starr’s father, played by Russell Hornsby, was another character that was difficult to cast. This character had a big role as the father figure, making big decisions for his family while also trying to protect them from one of the most dangerous gang members in their town. On top of that, he had to encourage his daughter to speak up for what she believes in. This actor also did a great job bringing emotion to the big screen and quickly became one of the more lovable characters.

Although police brutality and race can be a sensitive topic to a lot of people, the movie and the book both come together to tell a really emotional and powerful story.  

If you haven’t seen or read this story yet, go out and see it with your friends and family.