In an environment controlled by gang violence, Starr Carter, played by Amandla Stenberg who is well-known for playing Maddy in “Everything, Everything,” finds herself in a prep school surrounded by white kids who overlook the dangers of Garden Heights, her neighborhood. Originally a novel, “The Hate U Give” displays the life of a 16-year-old black girl who witnesses the death of her childhood best friend to the hands of a white male cop. The well-filmed story interacts with the audience and throws out strong topics and feelings.

The movie starts out with Starr’s best friend, Khalil (Algee Smith), taking her home from a party. They are pulled over for not using a turn signal to enter traffic and Khalil doesn’t cooperate with the cop, forcing the cop to have him step out of the car. On the other hand, Starr knows how to act when being pulled over and tries to get Khalil to listen to her. When Khalil checks up on Starr to make sure she is OK, he reaches for his brush in the driver’s seat and that is when the police shoots at him, thinking the brush was a weapon. While this is a massive part of the overall plot, the director, George Tillman Jr., directed the film well enough for there to be more to the storyline.

With the mess that comes after the incident, Starr is able to realize who her real friends are. Known for his role as Archie Andrews on CW’s “Riverdale,” KJ Apa plays Starr’s boyfriend, Chris, who proves himself to be trustworthy and cares for her in her time of need. Hailey, played by Sabrina Carpenter who played Maya Hart in Disney’s “Girl Meets World,” is Starr’s naive friend at Williamson, the all-white high school, who reveals her true self during the chaos.

As the plot progresses, the audience learns about the violence, such as riots and gangs, from Starr’s point of view. Mobs of protesting people begin to riot and the cops of the community try to stop them, creating chaos. People watching may say the black people should be calm about protesting and listen to the cops when they’re told to get out of the street, while others may think the cops should listen to what the protesters say instead of throwing stink bombs at them.

A person may become irritated due to what is said by both black and white people in the movie. However, in the end, the movie’s motto, “T.H.U.G. L.I.F.E.,” is changed to create a better understanding of the topic.

“The Hate U Give” is a racial drama that shows discrimination the world deals with today. With strong discrimination portrayed, the audience won’t understand the overall meaning of the movie until the end. The film earns a 4 out of 5 stars for being well-written and for convincing acting.