Written and directed by Jordan Peele who is best known as the co-creator of the hit sketch comedy series Key & Peele, Get Out is a surprisingly phenomenal film that expertly crafts the comedy and horror genres to create an incisive social satire about contemporary racism. The plot follows black photographer Chris Washington, played by Daniel Kaluuya, as he goes to the suburbs to visit the parents of his white girlfriend Rose Armitage, played by Allison Williams. Rose not telling her parents that her boyfriend is black makes Chris worried about their reaction when he first meets them. However, he is pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome of her father and neurosurgeon Dean, played by Bradley Whitford, and her mother and psychiatrist Missy, played by Catherine Keener. After spending more time with the family and meeting their black maid Georgina and black groundskeeper Walter who both act zombie-like, Chris senses there is something peculiar about the Armitages and their white neighbors. The film rapidly evolves into a horror thriller after Missy hypnotizes Chris, and he learns more about what is actually going on in the neighborhood. He relays his concerns to his black friend Rod who works for the TSA and serves as comic relief, with his exaggerated reactions and outlandish theories about what Chris is experiencing. Things get even weirder when Chris tells Rose about his suspicions and that they both must get out immediately. The film’s ending intensifies as plot twists abound and the audience finally figures out the sinister secrets of the neighborhood. What makes the movie so good is Peele’s ability to perfectly time scary and funny moments in order to keep the viewer engaged. By using the horror genre in which everything is not as it seems, Peele also cleverly devises a way to comment on society as a whole. He uses film to highlight the fact that racism still exists today even if people claim that we are in a post-racial society the result of Obama’s election. For instance, the Armitages, seemingly the epitome of white liberalism who say they would vote a third time for Obama, and their white suburban neighbors have a dark side that may counter their belief that they are far from being racists. Thereby, as evidenced by current race relations, actions and beliefs do not have to be overt in order to make somebody racist, but unrecognized subtle acts of prejudice can have a little-by-little detrimental affect on another race. Overall, I found it to be a highly entertaining experience, despite my general dislike of scary movies, that unexpectedly provides a profoundly important message about racism.
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