Get Out

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS

Jordan Peele's first attempt at horror shows us a psychologically strange and concerning experience that a young black man, Chris, undergoes when he enters his white girlfriend's (Rose) parents' home. A lot of critics are referring to this film as a truth to where current racism relations lie in our country right now and citing Trump as a scapegoat (as the wonderful media likes to do). But what they fail to realize is that Peele's concept emerged when Obama was in office and Peele did not actually start writing this until three years ago, sometime after the idea first came into his head (http://www.slashfilm.com/get-out-jordan-peele-interview/). And here's WHY he wrote it: "The film is a meditation on race and racism, born in the days following the election of President Barack Obama -- a time that Peele calls a “post-racial lie.” (http://www.etonline.com/features/211209_jordan_peele_talks_get_out_and_post_racial_america/).

Now, ironically, Peele is himself biracial and an Obama supporter, but even he can see the truth that lurked under Obama's oppressive years, even if he won't blame him and his supporters. If you look at these past two months, you have probably lost people you thought were friends, yes, even family members all because those supposed years of "inactive racism" is now flaring up. Peele, like Trump, has indirectly exposed some people's true colors. Of course, in this horror/comedy, those true colors are much more nightmarish and horrific then we have probably personally encountered.

Get Out has a lot of interesting flavors, a little bit of Edward Scissorhands in terms of conformist behavior, specifically the white family, a bunch of elitist liberals who claim they are "not racist" because they "would vote for Obama a third time" (which is implied racism, given the pattern of similar favorable comments uttered toward Chris because he is black). But really, for all of Peele's desire to showcase white people being racist, he fails. Because it's not about these white people hating black people; it's about them liking Chris because he is black. They actually envy him for all of his supposed strengths, traits they don't possess themselves.

This movie is about a jealousy so deep it drives the family and their party-goer friends, more elitists, mostly white, who show up in a funeral procession (major scary hint #1), replete in a carriage of sleek black cars and stepping out dressed in almost all black attire, to want to actually be Chris. That's the real scare here. They are also representative of a large part of the satanic cultish behavior from Rosemary's Baby, and the mind-control, self-serving sadists from A Clockwork Orange.

The reasons for what is taking place comes to light later on, but what I think that the critics are also missing is that this beyond a race issue, this is an issue of sick evil hearts who believe in NOTHING (without giving too much away). So, Peele, in all, has created a unique kind of world that feels suffocating and entrapping with a main character we can all relate to. The movie started out pretty slow and it only speeds up toward the end, so mostly we are 'slowly sinking' into the events, which I suppose is intended (you'll understand why when you see it). So often we hear about how stupid people are in horror movies, and honestly, Chris is no exception. It's interesting that he stays even after seeing so many things that are clearly off, but I think it speaks more to his desire to please others and trust them, an endearing quality, which is unique in anyone. Unfortunately, it works against him.

#JordanPeele #GetOut #Obama