Get Out

People who don’t like this film would’ve voted for Obama a third time if they could. I first saw Get Out a year or two after it first came out, renting it on DVD from my local library.  I had constantly heard about the critical acclaim and Oscar nominations that the film had received on release, and a horror film with racial commentary intrigued me.  With Jordan Peele having such an excellent comedy career as half of Key and Peele, seeing him make a horror film would be something unique to witness.  However, people did not at all know what they were in for. On first viewing, I really loved the film.  I loved the level of suspense, the performances, and the gory climax, and I wanted to watch it again.  I was expecting a gorefest, but was pleasantly surprised to encounter what was ostensibly a slow-paced psychological thriller with a cathartic horror finale.  But looking back now, I don’t think I understood much of the social and racial commentary on first viewing.  Being a white person, I will never understand race relations in America at all, and I won’t pretend that I do.  That being said, part of what made this such a satisfying rewatch is that I caught more of Jordan Peele’s pointed satire. The Armitages feel all the more evil and insidious on second viewing, symbolizing the racial hierarchy of the United States, with the system of white supremacy using people of color for cheap labor and the gain in status and wealth of rich, already powerful white people.  They use the American Dream to allure black people into their lives, only to brainwash them into conforming to their whitewashed lifestyles.  Every black person in the Armitage household speaks in a stereotypical “white” midwestern accent, robbed of their humanity and blackness, one of many red flags the Armitages present.  The allure of the family’s wealthy lifestyle and seeming racial harmony culls Chris in, and keeps him from doing as the title suggests: getting OUT. The racism of the Armitages themselves is cleverly disguised under their white neoliberal, “I’m not racist, I have black friends” centrism.  A weaker writer would’ve made them gun-wielding neo-Confederate Trump supporters, but Peele knows to plant the seeds of the Armitage’s insidious nature throughout rather than put it right out there, successfully subverting expectations.  Even minor throwaway lines of dialogue, especially coming from Mr. Armitage, sound like any QAnon politician’s racial rhetoric, or any disturbing cultist manifesto. The more technical, surface-level aspects of the film I had loved stuck out even more.  The performances are all phenomenal across the board.  Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener are all amazing, and Kaluuya should’ve gotten an Oscar for his turn.  Peele’s direction is very subtle and never makes the film feel cheesy.  He doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares and jarring sound effects, letting the uncomfortable situations speak for themselves.  This subtlety makes the film a hell of a lot creepier than it could’ve been with a lesser director. One aspect of the story that also stuck out to me is the writing of Lil Rel Howery’s Rod Williams.  With a lesser script, he is the token comic relief best friend character, which he seems to be when we first meet him.  But what sets him apart is one simple yet damning truth: he’s right about the Armitages.  Although his scenes are ostensibly comedic, his warnings constantly ring true beneath the humor.  Wow, is Jordan Peele excellent at subverting expectations. Believe every ounce of the hype around Get Out.  This film will remain one of my all-time favorite films in any genre, and a profound influence on my passion for film.