Review: The Hate U Give

Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg) lives in two worlds. Her home is in the rough and mostly black neighbourhood of Garden Heights, but by day she goes to the mostly white and well-off Williamson Prep private school, where she ditches her hoodie and any attitudes or turns of phrase that might make her seem “ghetto” – even if her dorky white friends are doing it - to become "Starr version two". It's a prime set-up for a culture clash comedy. But this is a film (based on the best selling YA novel) with a lot more on its mind, as becomes clear when Starr meets up with old friend Khalil (Algee Smith) at a neighbourhood party, only for them to be pulled over by police later that night. Khalil was driving her home after a fight broke out at the party; turns out they might have been safer there. Then things get complicated: the police want to make what happened about Khalil’s drug dealing for long crime kingpin King (Anthony Mackie) – who used to be partners with her father Maveric...