By TALA ABUKOUSH
Disclaimer: spoiler alert!
“The Hate You Give” by Angie Thomas is a book that demonstrates the impact of police brutality, and was recently made into a film directed by George Tillman Jr. After reading the book and watching the movie, I believe that the key differences between the two weakened the movie as a whole. “The Hate You Give” is about a teenage girl, Starr Carter, trying to make sense of her two worlds–the life of her inner city neighborhood and her mostly white private school, following the death of her childhood friend, Khalil, who was killed in a police shooting.
One difference between the book and movie is when Hailey, Starr’s closest school friend, has a physical altercation with Starr. This part of the movie wasn’t included in the book. Throughout the course of the novel, the friendship between the two deteriorates due to Hailey’s racism. Freshman Jasmine C. said, “I was really surprised by Hailey’s words because I thought she was one of her best friends and knew better than to say those words to Starr.” At one point in the movie, Hailey expresses that Khalil was a drug dealer and a “thug” who the world was better off without. This leads Starr to lose her control and she attacks Hailey physically. In the book, Starr was always portrayed as a role model with self-discipline. Starr always knew how to react to other people’s hateful actions. This scene in the movie takes away from Starr’s character. According to freshman Robin B., “It goes against Starr’s persona because in the book she is presented as a calm intellectual who would never use her actions against somebody.” In essence, the movie enforces the negative stereotype that black people are violent and cannot control their anger, because in the novel, Starr isn’t a violent person.
Another notable difference is Uncle Carlos’ point of view on Khalil’s murder. In the book, Carlos was a father figure to Starr. They had an extremely close relationship because he took care of her and her family during the years that her biological father Maverick was in jail. In the book, Carlos felt so passionately towards his family that he actually punched the cop who shot Khalil. This impacted his job because he was forced to take a leave of absence. In the movie, Uncle Carlos defends his police squad by explaining the hardships cops endure every day. This contradicts his character as portrayed in the book. Senior Jordan Y. said, “This made me feel that he was justifying the police officer’s action.” This scene in the movie takes away from Uncle Carlos and Starr’s connection and love for each other. It was like he didn’t truly understand Starr’s perspective and feelings toward the tragic event that took place.
A final difference is the scene where Starr’s younger brother Sekani points a gun at King, the local drug lord. This is yet another scene that was not in the book. At the ending of the movie, Starr and her brother Seven end up trapped in her father’s grocery store after King sets it on fire. The whole family showed up to save them, leading Maverick to stir up a fight with King. Maverick notices his gun is missing and discovers it in the hands of his son. Frustrated, Sekani points the gun at King. Freshman Robin B. said, “I feel like Sekani with the gun contradicts what the family teaches–how violence is never the answer and to always use your words.” This scene wrongfully portrays Starr’s family. In the book, the family is considered welcoming, nourishing, loving, and calm. They would never hurt anyone despite hate being put towards them. The parents taught the kids how to handle hate and hurt feelings.
Despite these issues I have with the film, I still feel as if the movie was very impactful and the actors really brought the story to life. Personally, it is surprising that the movie did not receive any award nominations for a Golden Globe or from BAFTA.
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