The Best Film Of 2018 was The Hate You Give

The Hate You Give (Rated PG-13)

I was shocked that I had not heard a peep about this film, until I randomly saw it pop up on Vudu. I was not even planning on doing an end of the year best film, I thought when I saw Please Stand By, I had seen my favorite of the year, it was certainly a very personal film for me, but that is what made this film top it.

While some won't relate to all the feelings Star the protagonist of The Hate You Give goes through, the fact that they could craft a story to convey and give insight into empathizing with those feelings, was quite astounding. 

 If you know nothing of the film, the story follows a young girl named Star, she is trying to balance her home and school life, until one night things shake her from her normal world. After leaving a party where she met up with an old friend, something awful happens, her childhood friend Khalil attempts to drive her home, but they are pulled over not far from the party, and during this stop, Khalil loses his life to a trigger happy Cop. This sequence sets the standard for the film, as not only is it tense, but the performance from Amandla Stenberg as she can only helplessly watch her best friend perish is heartbreaking, and honestly, it was so real, it was hard to watch.

What makes that scene so hard to watch is not just the performance, but the build-up, this film takes its time in telling its story; we follow Star during her day to day life for sometime before anything awful happens. It is the moments of happiness, of humor and warmth that makes the shocking turn so horrifying.
It is this balance which allows the film to breathe and convey its message, without beating you over the head with it. I would be interested in a film like this no matter how it gave the message, but what made the film stand out, was the fact that it was so even-handed in telling that message.

This is a really smart movie, it understands how important it is for you to relate to Star, for you to see she is just a young girl, living her life, having fun, and yet, her past and now her present has been shadowed by the loss of life.
Yet, Star never allows it to corrupt her, she allows her past to shape her, she allows the influences of the dearest to her, to shape her, but never the tragedy itself.
The film is shaped by this mindset as well, there are many tense scenes, some are hard to watch, yet, there are many that bring a smile to your face, and many that inspire and empower.

The fact that Star is such a fully realized character is what sucks you into this film, there is nothing stereotypical here, this is a very honest and real portrayal of a modern teenage woman in the black community.
Something I thought was a very brilliant touch, is that a very touching memory of her childhood friends involves Harry Potter. I loved this as it was a genius method to allow those who may not relate to portions of the story, to relate to Star as a person.

 It is these touches, that made the story more than one purely about its subject, it made it a fantastic story period; which in turn elevates the message they wanted to convey.
It helps when not only is your lead easy to relate to, but they surround her with diverse characters that are equally interesting. The interactions with these characters made them real, and allows them to show that those who do not understand others at first, can learn to understand and embrace, yet they also show their lack of understanding can come from a place of fear and hate.

I have seen few films deliver this message, so gently, yet they never lose sight of the reality of these horrific tragedies, nor do they soften the impact of those events. This film compels you to listen with enthralling characters, and a story that gets you invested long before any message is even touched on.
I find it funny that a film was honored as the best of 2018, for presenting race relations and racism, in such an archaic and fundamentally misunderstood manner.
Yet, this film is not only exquisite in its writing, but the protest sequences, the shooting, the funeral and many smaller moments, are made with the detail you expect from Speilberg. The film shows the world for what it is, a place of hate, a place of love, a place of fear,
a place of inspiration, and the reasons why we should find our voice and courage to fight for love.
While it may not have gotten the attention upfront it deserves, I believe this film will shape future generations, the story and the way it is told are that powerful.