The Hate U Give (2018)

Starr lives a double existence. With her white school friends, she goes out of her way to speak and behave so properly that no one can accuse her of being "ghetto." But, when at home, she can relax and be herself. This is just what she's doing when a cop pulls her and a childhood friend over. The cop gets spooked and shoots, quickly ending her friend's life. Starr's double life also cannot be sustained in the wake of the tragedy.

Though this film felt like it was afraid to cross an invisible line of "appropriateness," making it feel simultaneously over-the-top and way too tame, there are some good observations here. I especially liked the fallout with one of her friends who just wasn't getting it. The problem wasn't the inability to understand -- it was the refusal to admit that she didn't and her unwillingness to learn. She was like a self-righteous teenage Meghan McCain.

B