Photo Courtesy of IMDb
Story by Jonathon Austin / Contributing writer
“Get Out” marks actor-comedian Jordan Peele’s premier directorial work as he teams up with the creators of “Insidious” and “Sinister” to present a racially charged satirical horror flick based on the interracial relationship of a young couple.
This film blends racial satire with suspense horror that leaves the audience hanging onto the edge of their seats and potentially questioning their outlook on race.
Peele has worked on numerous movies and television shows in the past, including Emmy-winning Comedy Central show “Key and Peele.”
So far, “Get Out” has raked in over $30 million at the box office in the first weekend. The movie has received praise from numerous film critics and even scored a near-impossible 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
“Get Out” doesn’t rely on blood and gore to create a suspenseful horror film. Instead, the true horror lies within the disappearances of black men in white suburbia.
The plot of the movie entails a young African-American man, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and his Caucasian girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams). The two reach the stage in their relationship where it is time for him to meet her parents. Chris is leery of meeting the parents due to the fact that he thinks they may reject him because he is black. Little does Chris know that they plan to make him a part of the family in ways that he could never imagine.
Rose’s mother and father, a psychiatrist and a neurosurgeon respectively, have an odd way of welcoming their daughter’s boyfriend to the family. Hypnotism to stop his smoking and a lingering fondness of Obama and Jesse Owens lead Chris to feel uncomfortable with the family’s determination to make him feel more at home.
Constant remarks of African genetic makeup and arguments of black advantages in society make it evident that the characters in the film have an antiquated, unrealistic perception of race. The old white characters imply that they see black men as physical entities meant to better serve their white counterparts.
Chris’ quirky best friend, Rod (Lil Rey Howery) provides the classic Jordan Peele comic relief and fuels Chris’ ever-growing suspicion of the Armitage family. Just as Chris sees that his suspicions are becoming true, he realizes that it may be too late to escape.
The movie’s mood is unusually macabre, depicted through the use of spontaneous flashbacks, odd violin music, dead animals, off-putting dialogue and distant gazes and odd behavior from the family’s African-American servants.
One of the film’s main themes is the phenomenon of black assimilation. Jordan Peele’s genius is evident through his structuring of plot and theme in order to create a film that details our culture’s idea of race, and how horrifying it really is. Peele’s representation of black assimilation goes a step further to create a scenario only fit for a horror movie.
From beginning to end, the film perfectly portrays racism in society while simultaneously thrilling the audience with unique themes and providing an ending that leaves them with their jaws on the floor.
If you enjoy suspenseful thrillers, films about race or thought-provoking notions of race and culture, Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” may be the Blockbuster hit that you have been waiting for.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Marissa Gaston email [email protected].
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