The first trailer for the long-awaited film adaptation of The Hate U Give arrived at Sunday’s BET awards. Like Angie Thomas’s YA book, the film will likely be one of the most important and moving stories of the year—if not the entire decade—with its all-too-familiar narrative of police brutality and racism.
The synopsis for the film reads:
“Starr Carter is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.
THE HATE U GIVE is based on the critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller by Angie Thomas and stars Amandla Stenberg as Starr, with Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Issa Rae, KJ Apa, Algee Smith, Sabrina Carpenter, Common and Anthony Mackie.”
Stenberg’s performance, just from what I see in the trailer, is going to be heartbreaking and I can’t wait to see them play this role about change, tragedy, and finding your voice. With the character Starr Carter, played by Amandla Stenberg, Thomas said she wanted to show how young black girls are affected by police violence and how they’re constantly criminalized.
Thomas’s book began as a short story, but became a novel when the author watched Trayvon Martin, Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, and Sandra Bland happen. We’ve since seen countless more instances of black people being shot by police officers, and the constant demonization of black protest. The words “Find your voice” and “Change the world” both appear in the trailer, and I hope this crucial movie will push and inspire people to educate themselves and fight for change.
The Hate U Give comes to theaters October 19, 2018. Are you going to check it out?
(image: screencap)
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