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Get Out: Movie Review

Jordan Peele’s 2017 movie “Get Out” is a psychological horror with a scientific edge. However, had it not been for the opening scene in which a black man gets attacked and abducted late at night to the song “Run Rabbit Run” by Flanagan & Allen, the audience might have believed the film to be a “meet the parents” type comedy at first. The opening scene sets the tone for the movie and does a great job of getting the viewer’s attention. The scene is filled with tension, unease, and a sense of foreboding that will be present in the rest of the film.

The movie shifts focus after that first scene to center on Chris and Rose, a young couple seemingly in love and preparing for a weekend getaway where Chris will meet Rose’s family for the first time. On the way there, they hit a deer, which is the first blood of the movie we see. This deer felt kind of like a warning, foreshadowing the violence Chris was about to go through. It also relates to the expression “a deer caught in headlights,” which often describes a state of fear, paralysis, and a stunned expression which mirrors the expression Chris will have when going through hypnosis later on in the movie.

The couple then gets pulled over by a white police officer who asks not only to see Rose’s identification, which is expected since she was driving the car, but also Chris’. Rose immediately rose to Chris’ defense but, by doing so, could have escalated the situation gravely. She doesn’t seem to understand social context and the fact that she could have done my harm than good for Chris had things escalated for the worst. Despite that, it seemed that her actions were made with good intentions. This scene was well done as it painted Rose as an ally that will speak up for Chris against injustices, whatever they may be, and that she will continue to do so throughout the movie. It gave the audience the belief that Chris would have someone looking out for him and gave us, in a way, someone to root for.

When the couple gets to Rose’s family house, all seems well. The family seems decent enough, albeit a somewhat satirical version of the “perfect” suburban white family. They offer big smiles and seem welcoming to Chris, giving the audience a false sense of security and making them believe that the family will accept him. But that initial sense of foreboding was still present. The family, especially Rose’s father, Dean, seemed to be trying a little too hard to show Chris they were different from others, more open-minded, and not racist at all. He was telling Chris that he would have voted for Obama a third time if he could have and that he knew what having two black “servants” must look like and that he did not like it. The underlying racial tension throughout their exchanges makes the audience apprehensive about what will happen to Chris. The movie is good at making the viewers doubt and question whether something nefarious is going on or if the family is overcompensating and acting in a way they think would make Chris comfortable by using slang, for example, even if their behavior does the opposite. Things quickly shift when the family, Rose’s mother Missy especially, starts pushing Chris’ boundaries. They pry with questions regarding his childhood trauma, are incredibly judgmental of his smoking habits, and push for him to get hypnotized to make him stop, making the overall atmosphere deeply uncomfortable.

The uneasy and alarming atmosphere is at its peak when the garden party is happening. Indeed, it is filled with white people making downright disrespectful comments filled with microaggressions towards Chris. They fetishize black people with their racist ideals and make stereotypical and inappropriate comments, like saying, “black is in fashion now,” and one lady even goes as far as asking Rose if the rumors are true and if being with a black man sexually is better. They dehumanize him throughout the whole party. This is somewhat surprising because since they are in a liberal state, some might assume that these people would be more open-minded. However, there are hints that might point toward their beliefs. One of them is the fact that most, if not everyone, is, one way or another, wearing red. This color is often associated with the south and the Republican party which preaches white supremacist ideals. This is a subtle way of showing that there may be more to this party than meets the eye. Some are more obviously showing the color, such as wearing a red shirt, but for others, it is more subtle, such as having a red handkerchief, red lipstick, or red earrings.

This party is also where Rose starts to show her true colors. She is wearing a red striped shirt which might point towards her affiliations. Rose’s betrayal of Chris and her unveiling as one of the villains is well done because she changes gradually. At the beginning of the movie, she is all smiles, defends Chris, and wears her hair down, but as the film progresses, she starts acting and dressing more clinically and starts gaslighting Chris. Whenever he tries to tell her how uncomfortable he feels, she makes a joke of it or puts the blame on him instead. So, while there are hints that might point towards her perhaps not being as authentic as we might have believed at first, it still comes as a surprise to know how big of a part she played in the plan against Chris.

Furthermore, in the garden scene, Peele shows a modern recreation of a slave auction. We see Dean next to a photo of Chris taking bids for his body. This demonstrates the sheer arrogance that comes with money and how, to this day, white people profit off black people and believe they are entitled to black bodies. Their money and entitlement make them believe that they can do and take whatever they want. This scene shows how they view black people as less than humans and as goods they can simply purchase. This scene is the confirmation that not only are these people racist, but they are planning to do something even more horrific to Chris. The fact that the viewers do not know what that is yet heightens the stress factor and the sense of foreboding. 

The big plot reveal at the end, where the audience learns that the Armitage family abducts black people to use as vessels for the consciousness of the white people who bought them, was very well executed because it was surprising. Throughout the movie, there were hints that something might not be quite right with the other people of color in the house, but I personally would not have guessed the extent of what was being done to them. Also, I appreciate the fact that the movie kept its stressful atmosphere until the very end. Especially when the film starts making the audience believe that Chris will actually be able to save himself, only to see a cop car arriving. Instantly, when I saw the cop car, I believed that a white police officer would come out only to assume Chris to be the perpetrator and arrest him. So, when the film shows Chris' friend Rod getting out of the car instead, I felt such relief knowing that he would not be wrongfully accused and knowing that he would make it out of there safe. It felt like taking a first full breath after holding it for so long. 

In all, the film is an original take on the horror genre and shows how scary it can be not to have complete control of your body while still somewhat being there mentally. It shows how terrifying it would be to become trapped in your own mind and get lost within yourself. I found the film very interesting and well-paced. I enjoyed the way it kept me on my toes, waiting to see what was going to happen next. It offers a good commentary on modern racism and demonstrates how white people can appropriate black culture and bodies to benefit themselves.