One of the movies that I have watched recently that really resonated with me was the movie The Hate U Give. This movie represents a lot of what has been going on in our society today. Starr Carter, the main character of this film, is constantly trying to fit into her two worlds. One being the poor, mostly black neighborhood where she lives with her family, and the mostly white, rich prep school that she attends. She is constantly working to be herself in both environments but the balance between these two worlds is ultimately shattered when she is the main witness to the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend at the hands of a police officer. She faces a lot of pressure from her community so she is forced to find her voice and stand up for what’s right. Khalil’s, Starrs best friend, shooting really put injustice at the forefront of the film. Khalil was not armed and did not threaten the officer which makes his murder unjust. Race is also tied into this theme of injustice because immanent racism prevents African Americans from obtaining justice. At the end of the film Starr accepts that injustice is going to continue but she will work to bring justice to Khalil and his family no matter what.
Throughout this course, we have talked a lot about race and injustice and I believe this film fits in perfectly with the other information we have learned. This film is a good example of the “other”. In this case, the police officers can’t do any wrong. People are conditioned to think that whenever a police officer does something it is for the right reasons. Starr and her community are seen as the “other” in this instance because they are not being heard and the treatment that Khalil faced was extremely wrong but no one sees the truth in the real story. I highly recommend this movie as another way to understand how racism and inequality can really affect the lives of many people. I think the film as a whole really opened my eyes to what goes on in our society and how people deserve to have their voices heard. The film, The Hate U Give, is also a book. I do believe however that the movie doesn’t do the book justice both. That being said, the film and the book are equally educational and heart wrenching.
