Get Out, 2017.
Written and Directed by Jordan Peele.
Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, LilRel Howery, Betty Gabriel, Marcus Henderson, Lakeith Stanfield, and Catherine Keener
SYNOPSIS:
A young African-American man visits his Caucasian girlfriend’s mysterious family estate.
Horror films that manage to be at once scary, funny and socially insightful are something of a white whale for genre buffs, but Jordan Peele’s irresistible directorial debut serves up a sure-to-be-cult classic that leaves audiences with plenty to discuss once the credits roll.
Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) is a black man about to take a trip to meet the parents of his white girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). Chris is concerned that Rose’s parents, Dean (a near-unrecognisable Bradley Whitford) and Missy (Catherine Keener), aren’t aware that he’s black, and though the initial greeting seems pleasant enough, the bizarre behaviour of their all-black servants causes Chris to realise that all is not well at the Armitage household.
It’s certainly a novel idea for Peele to wrap the musings on race relations in contemporary America that permeate much of his work around what’s essentially a B-movie premise. It’s a creative commitment that pays off dividends thanks to his clear understanding of both the fundamentals of the horror genre and, of course, the experience of being an American black man in 2017.
It would’ve been easy and acceptable for Peele to make Trump voters and white supremacists the basis for his satire, but he instead opts for a far cagier target; complacent white liberals who often mean well and certainly don’t believe themselves to be racist (they even voted for Obama twice, don’cha know?) but nevertheless stifle black advancement through smugly self-satisfied, patronising attempts to relate to the black experience.
Peele externalises this frustration through heightened means, sure, but it does nothing to distinguish the potency of his commentary. Smartly, from a commercial perspective and otherwise, the more general aspects of the movie are made relatable to a surprisingly wide audience; the awkward first time meeting your partner’s parents will be squirm-inducingly familiar to many viewers of all races, and there are some ripe opportunities for white people to chuckle at the stereotypically aloof “whiteness” of the upper middle-classes.
Still, it’s primarily about being a black man today, and though there will always be those white people unmoved by the film due to its perceived lack of a “relatable” protagonist, it’s important to note that the eye-opening strangeness of Chris’ odyssey amid a sea of whites, especially in its more down-to-Earth moments, may serve as a genuinely insightful, even educational time for many white people watching.
Comedy can be a powerful tool to surrender social ills and breed empathy, and Peele does a fantastic job presenting a likable protagonist placed in a singularly dire situation. Chris’ phone interactions with his best pal, a TSA employee named Rod (Lil Rel Howery), result in some of the film’s funniest exchanges, as Chris runs down the madness that’s transpiring and Rod expresses surging incredulity that his pal is still hanging around the house.
Few would’ve blamed Peele for sacrificing scares in favour of humour and a prevailing nobler cause, but the legitimately discomforting tone and oppressive atmosphere is one of its most startling aspects. Thanks to splendid casting from Kaluuya (who is English but, with an impeccable American accent, you’d never guess) through to the smallest speaking roles, there’s a pervasive air of creepiness that keeps the palms sweaty during even its more predictable moments.
That said, those who presume to have pieced it all together from some seemingly spoilerific trailers will be pleasantly surprised to learn that the marketing has deliberately re-contextualised certain giveaway shots, which possess entirely different meanings in the final product. It’s a clever, refreshing bait-and-switch, especially when the movie slams into full gear in its gonzo third act.
Even with all this intellect and pedigree behind it, though, history is full of first-time directors who scrape through by the skin of their teeth, if at all. Thankfully, Peele has zero hallmarks of a neophyte behind the camera, with silky smooth long takes and sharp framing creating a film of enormous visual confidence and conviction, helping hammer home the deft social commentary of that Oscar-caliber script (though wait and see if the Academy remembers it a year from now).
It would be wrong to call Get Out a compromise between an arty race picture and a more mainstream horror comedy, because there’s not even a lick of concession to be sniffed out here. Jordan Peele has made an audacious debut that immediately earmarks him as a director to watch, regardless of whatever genre he dabbles in next. If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Shaun Munro – Follow me on Twitter for more film rambling.
Originally published March 7, 2017. Updated April 16, 2018.
