Starring: Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Algee Smith
Directed by: George Tillman Jr.
My Ranking: 4/5 Stars
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% Critics, 83% Audience
Amazon Description: “A teen witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood friend by a trigger-happy cop and must decide whether to testify or not.”
My overall impression of this movie was that it was trying to handle too large of a scope in too little time. It was visually stunning and integrated interesting flashback techniques with a vignette-style filter that made Starr’s childhood memories feel imprecise and worked well with her narration. The use of audio to demonstrate Starr’s comprehension of the world around her shows how strong her control of the narrative is, especially around the time of the shooting, and when she has to testify about what she saw. The way Tillman crafts the movie around Starr’s understanding of her world is compelling, and is what makes this movie more approachable. It invites us to know one person, not a movement, but all of these choices are overshadowed by one major flaw, and it is taking on to wide of a scope.
See, in a book the space needed to discuss code switching, the different reactions to racial injustice within a family, interracial relationship, racist friends, structural inequality, and activism is provided by 100,000+ words, each carefully picked and placed and woven to make the story complete without being overbearing. When a movie tries to filter all of these things down into a two hour film, the needed nuance is lost, and in attempting to maintain the integrity of all of this major issues that Starr is handling, the script comes out feeling too neat. The reality of the situation is messier, and is lost in the desired ‘Happily Ever After’. Does this movie tackle important issues in an approachable and understandable way? Yes. Is it accessible to younger audiences who might not have the ability to tackle the intricacies of racist structures and profiling? Absolutely and it can serve a wonderful tool to begin the conversation with younger (middle school or early high school) audiences about using their voice and recognizing inequality in their society. But on a writing level it seems like the script needed more refinement.
Now, I am not going to evaluate the plot here, beyond stating my favorite moments at the end, as I always do. I am digging into the writing. Into the choice to keep each of these plot points instead of removing a few subplots in order to more thoroughly discuss others. I think that decision hurt this movie in the long run. More below.
Spoilers from this point forward.
The movie opening was a very smart decision, both in terms of setting the tone for the movie, and in terms of smart writing. Starr and her brother getting “The Talk” about how to handle interactions with cops as a person of color in an unequal world where their skin color alone marked them dangerous. This created a point of reference for later in the movie when Starr and Khalil are pulled over, and when Starr takes a stand at the rally. It subtly shapes the course of the movie.
The first sticking point for me where the writing lacks is when Chris confronts Starr about her involvement in Khalil’s death and why she didn’t tell him. Especially his use of “I don’t see color.” Earlier in the movie, Starr defends Chris’s actions when he “acts black” saying he isn’t doing it on purpose, its just the way he is. When he tells her he doesn’t “see her that way” (read: black) she refutes him, saying that he can’t see her at all if he doesn’t see her race, but the conversation ends there, and we don’t really see Chris change or grow significantly. We don’t even see him apologize for his words of try to understand more about why his colorblindness was an issue. Outside of Starr’s family, Chris is one of the characters who gets the most screen time, one of the characters who we see her codeswitching with when she goes to school. He is the first person she invites to see both sides of her, his acceptance was critical but is never expressly given. He accepts Starr, and goes home to meet her family, but when Starr has her critical moment, embracing her voice and speaking out for Khalil, Chris is absent.
The second sticking point for me is the moment that Sekani pulls out a gun and Starr steps between him and the police. That is the moment for me that really condemns this movie, because realistically, the entire situation deescalating just because she physically stepped in is unrealistic. Had the police gotten everyone involved to put down the guns and step away, then perhaps a peaceful resolution would have been possible, but the fact that there were no questions about a kid with a gun and that we cut very quickly to a happy family moving on with life was jarring, even with the scene of Starr going to Khalil’s house to retrieve his wand.
I will end with another moment that I thought the writing held up well. It was when Star was talking to the advocate about her best friend’s death and revealed that she hadn’t spoken up then to protect her family, something even her parents hadn’t known. That moment, when her parents saw for the first time just how deeply ingrained in this life she was, and when I as a viewer was allowed to see just how much violence proliferated her life, was powerful. It was a brief scene that utilized every moment to show how each character’s understanding of the situation changed.
As always, I end with my favorite moments from the movie:
- “Look at the people parting for you like a brown-skinned Moses.”
- Khalil asking Starr if she still has her Harry Potter wand
- “Shine your light, I didn’t name you Starr by accident.”
- The father making them repeat the Black Panther ten points on the lawn when they doubt themselves
- Seven and Starr quizzing Chris on his ‘blackness’ before Starr brings him home
- Starr’s father asking her mom if she knew Starr was dating a white dude
- Starr finally taking the megaphone
- Khalil’s grandmother holding his framed photo at the protest
- The visual of all three wands in Starr’s box at the end of the film
Megan’s Musings 