The Hate U Give was...powerful.
A film that earnestly explores the troubling state of America's relationship with its own African American citizens. Humanizing for those that need it, nuanced for those turned off by "us vs them" politics, the film is nothing if not genuine in its approach to the subject matter. However, despite a strong narrative and solid performances, the filmmaking is sometimes a little too afterschool special-esque for my liking, there's a few eye-roll worthy lines thrown in and some pretty heavy-handed rhetoric to counter some of the attempts at objectivity. Most of the scenes are shot competently but not interestingly, often the movie feels like it lacks dimension, actual physical space since so many shots come straight on. There's a lot of voiceover in typical YA fashion that could've been transformed into something more appealing for a visual medium as well, Amandla Stenberg manages to overcome this largely with a standout performance, but she shouldn't have had to.
Overall, it's still a worthwhile and dare I say important film. Just wish there was more style to go with the substance.
8/10 Black Lives Matter
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