Directed by: Jordan Peele
Written by: Jordan Peele
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford
IMDb Link
Get Out is a great movie, using a familiar framework in creepy horror storytelling to tell a genuinely well-made and unique tale that blends brilliantly with satire of modern racism.
This is the story of Chris (Kaluuya), a black man who's taken by his white girlfriend Rose to meet her friends and family. Given that Chris is Rose's first black boyfriend, he's concerned about being on the receiving end of any potential racism. "They're not racist, my dad would've voted for Obama for a third time if he could" is Rose's reply, before we're inevitably taken in to a series of mightily uncomfortable and eventually horrifying situations that are all heavily peppered with racism. The set-up is very similar to films like The Wicker Man (both versions, though I'd argue strongly against seeing the 2006 version), Red State (2011) or the Stepford Wives (1975 and 2004), but with an interesting twist on the racism commentary.
This is exactly what makes Get Out so effective. Rose's dad, and indeed her family would have voted for Obama for a third time; they also like to wax lyrical about the superiority of black genetics and comment on the "African-American" experience. These people aren't out-and-out racists in the traditional sense; they're much more insidious, overcompensating for the derision and oppression of black people by attempting to lionise them to incredible lengths, creating an envy that gets literally embodied.
Impressively, Peele manages to make this premise work for the sake of both horror and comedy. There's a certain uncomfortable air that holds over the entire movie, as Chris is introduced to character after character who blatantly tries to overcompensate (Chris meets a former pro golfer, "Oh, I love Tiger Woods", Chris is trying to have a casual conversation and it turns in to a talk about fashionable skin colour "Black is in"). Each one of these scenes gets a laugh at the initial ridiculousness of each of these characters' actions or statements, but then slowly becomes claustrophobic as each character takes it that little bit further with their inappropriate behaviour , and leaves you trapped in the scene with Chris, growing paranoid as he does. and wanting only for him to get out (hey, that's the title of the movie). There's also plenty of small lines that seem delivered deliberately to have double-meaning; talk of exterminating deer or mentions of "black mold" seem so purposefully placed that they stand out, and got an uncomfortable chuckle out of me more than once.
Aside from the clever racial commentary and good use of direction to create uncomfortable and trapped sensations, Get Out has a soundtrack that, while somewhat overbearing, suits the movie very well. A lot of high-pitched strings playing odd notes and shrieking at the right times just adds to the constant uncomfortable feeling the film holds in your gut for its duration, and helps build the slow but steady tension that makes its way through the film.
The Verdict: Get Out is excellent at taking real-world social attitudes and amplifying them to create deeply uncomfortable situations for the sake of both horror and comedy, as well as mixing the two extremely smoothly. The satirical jabs at racism can go from hilarious to chilling in a heartbeat, and its all backed up by strong direction and an appropriate soundtrack. If you like horror, I highly recommend it if you're up for more scares that come from built up tension and a feeling of helplessness. If you like satire, I think this film offers some clever and humorous insight in to topics of racism that haven't been as heavily explored as others. If you like both, then get out and go see Get Out.
Rating: 8/10
Published April 29th, 2017
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