*“Black Lives Matter” is a phrase that has echoed throughout the speeches and actions of many Black rights leaders and activists. However, the phrase, in this specific arrangement, gained prominent traction as a social media hashtag and a reaction to police brutality, which grew into a movement.
Considering the impact of this movement, it was inevitable that it would make its way into fiction. Even though there have been media portrayals of systemic oppression in our present times, Angie Thomas’ 2017 young adult novel “The Hate U Give” and its upcoming big screen adaptation are delivering a Black Lives Matter moment that isn’t ambiguous about its origins and inspiration.
The film stars Amandla Stenberg as 16-year old Starr Carter, who navigates between her impoverished Black neighborhood and the mostly-white elite prep school. Highlight of her week is going to neighborhood parties where she doesn’t have to code-switch. Tragedy strikes when she loses a friend accompanying her, when they get stopped by the police. This tragedy shakes Starr and makes her more aware of the inequities faced by her community. The rest of the movie is her journey towards activism, while navigating through teenage years and confronting difficult situations.
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Supporting Stenberg’s performance are a cast of performers who add prestige to the project. Regina Hall plays Starr’s mother, while Common plays Starr’s uncle who is also a cop. Insecure’ Issa Rae plays an activist who is pivotal to Starr’s transformation and Anthony Mackie plays a local drug dealer. Other prominent names in the case include Riverdale’s KJ Apa and new pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter.
It’s 2018 and a major Hollywood studio has produced and is now marketing a feature film that puts light on social injustices and community response. Making matters complex is that the movie is also a coming-of-age story of a teenage girl, who is finding a balance between her Blackness and the privilege of going to a mostly white school. It wasn’t so long ago that female stories were called “frothy and light” and “box office poison”. Every movie with a female protagonist carries the pressure of succeeding to change this perspective.
If this film succeeds, it will become a watershed moment that puts another chink in that condescending armor. There are a lot of challenges in this movie’s way; this isn’t a topic that tends to travel well. It might not even do well internationally. Yet, the filmmakers and studio should be appreciated for believing in the material and assembling a cast that can deftly deliver the material. Hopefully, the Black community will embrace this movie and make it a success.
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