The highly anticipated movie, The Hate U Give, arrived in theaters on October 19th. The story, based on the #1 New York Times Bestseller of the same title by Angie Thomas, describes how Starr Carter’s (Amandla Stenberg) life changed because of one event. Khalil Harris (Algee Smith), her childhood best friend, was killed by a police officer in front of her. Although fictional, the story borrows elements from real events. In fact, Tupac Shakur’s comments following the shooting of Oscar Grant inspired Thomas’ title.

The excitement in the theater prior to the movie was palpable. Throughout the movie, there were moments of grief, and the audience shared their tears with the characters. The film also successfully integrated humor to alleviate the grim plot.

Although The Hate U Give addresses controversial topics like racism and police violence, it does an impressive job at balancing the dark and light parts of the plot. As they rise from their seats, moviegoers leave with Thomas’ departing message that something has to change, because, as Tupac Shakur said, “The Hate U Give Little Infants F—-s Everyone.”