Get Out (2017): Being the Only Black Guy in a Room
This evaluation covers an intended message in Get Out, a 2017 horror film that tells a story of an interracial couple (a white woman and a black man) during a trip to visit the woman’s family. The intended audience for this review might be horror film fanatics, analysts and/or those who are interested in finding deeper meanings than what meets the eye. Another appropriate audience might be BLM or civil rights activists. Peele has said the intended target for his film is “…white liberal elite, the types who think President Obama’s election and their own open-mindedness have solved racism” (Robinson). While the movie is intended to entertain anyone who watches it, Peele, the director, had a motive of showing everybody the “…uncomfortableness of being the only black guy in a room….” Because of this lesson the review could be considered to share in any DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) training, meetings, or sessions. It can be used to show examples of common questions, comments, or snide remarks a lot of people might say to a Black person. Schools may also benefit from reviewing this evaluation because it could teach a valuable lesson to kids who may not be aware of or understand the feelings portrayed in the film themselves. Young people can be taught what not to say, regardless of intent.
With Black Lives Matter making its mark in history in recent years, the Black community continues to fight to be treated fairly and to be respected in all parts of society. This extends to popular media. Jordan Peele recognized he had never seen the uncomfortableness of being the only Black man in a room represented in popular media before. He took it upon himself to demonstrate that struggle. Get Out is a horror/thriller movie where the main character Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is a Black man dating Rose (Allison Williams), a white woman. The characters travel to Rose’s family’s home and Chris expresses his concern when he finds out Rose’s parents are unaware he is black — demonstrating Peele’s reference to one of the taboos of an interracial relationship. When they arrive at the house, Chris begins to feel uneasy immediately as a result of comments made by Rose’s parents. As the story unfolds, Chris increasingly becomes uncomfortable and aware of her family’s intentions.
During a large family and friend gathering at their house, Chris is one of the only four Black people amongst a sea of middle-aged to elderly white people. His uneasiness is evident. This is Peele’s allusion to the slave trade — they are all there to bid on him. Rose’s family lures Black men (and one woman) to their home through Rose, and auction them off for “parts.” A blind man and fellow photographer (Chris is a photographer) tells Chris he has a very good eye…the blind man buys Chris for his eyes. Later in the movie he says, “I want your eye, man. I want those things you see through,” (Peele). Peele manages to reference numerous other things including racism in the police system and suburban racism. The victimization of Black people is portrayed through a phrase in the film called “The sunken place” where Chris is essentially hypnotized and unable to move — he sinks into himself — a dark abyss, floating in mid-air and at the mercy of a white family (Ramos & Peele). I will be talking about the greatest strength of the movie and message, the greatest weakness (and why it is a weakness), and ending with a final judgement. I identified its greatest strength as its relatability and its greatest weakness as the comic relief.
Main Strength: Relatability
The main strength of this movie in demonstrating the intended message is the relatability of some of the conversations and situations Chris is a part of. For example, in the first conversation he has with Rose’s father, her father says “I would have voted for Obama for a third term,” (Peele). This is only one example of the kind of statement commonly made by people who are trying to compensate for closeted racism or fear of coming across as racist. Others include “I have black friends” or “my boyfriend is black.” The New York Times stated this can be tied to “…the belief that proximity to blackness immunizes white people from having attitudes that are rooted in racism or doing racist things,” (Eligon).
Another potentially relatable situation in the movie is the “house party” Rose’s parents host. Spoiler: it wasn’t a house party. Chris is a minority at this party as there is a total of four Black people at the party: a groundskeeper, a housemaid/servant, Chris and one shows up as a companion or partner of an older white woman to the party. It quickly turns into a fish-out-of-water story. Peele wrote this party scene to feel almost as an interview for Chris, as if each person he meets is eyeing him and is there just to see him (Peele). When he is bought, Chris’s self is sent to the sunken place so he is unable to fight back or resist any of the procedures he is about to endure. As a first-time viewer, you may miss the language and intrusive questions the guests ask Chris, but he gives noticeably uncomfortable looks and replies — demonstrating his anxiety — the anxiety of being the only Black person, being subjected to inappropriate questions, feeling like he’s being put on display for all these white people, etc.. The audience of this movie might also feel uncomfortable regardless of whether they are black or not, and as long as they are able to recognize racially motivated questions and comments. I think Peele was successful in trying to project the same feelings that Black people feel onto his audience(s). Being the only Black person in a room with all eyes on you for being different is the image here — showing Peele’s white audience a situation they may never relate to or at least not due to their race.
Main Weakness: Comic Relief
The biggest weakness of Get Out is the comical aspect of the film. Mainly known as a comedy writer, Peele’s intended message of this film was toned down or muffled by his reputation as well as the use of comedy in the script. Chris’s best friend Rod (Lil Rel Howery) serves as a comic relief character throughout the film whenever Chris has something to share about how his visit is going. In his attempt to exploit the horrors of racism and taboos, Peele incorporated laughable moments — leading the audience to believe it gets better, it’s not all that bad, you can still find normalcy in the midst of chaos etc. However, the comical aspect takes away credibility or power from the volume of the message this film is trying to portray.
Vulture tweeted in 2017 that Get Out was going to compete as a comedy at the Golden Globe Awards in 2018 (Arogundade). The few comedic moments in the movie resulted in it essentially being mocked. This decision was made without the consent of or regard for Peele’s thoughts or feelings. Peele said, “What the movie is about is not funny. I’ve had many black people come up to me and say, ‘man, this is the movie we’ve been talking about for a while and you did it,’” (Kohn). With so many people coming forward and expressing their appreciation for the film and its message, seeing it competing for a comedy award is devastating. It feels as though the point was missed or overlooked. Peele said “For that to be put in a smaller box than it deserves is where the controversy comes from…Call it what you want, but the movie is an expression of my truth, my experience, the experiences of a lot of black people, and minorities” (Kohn). On November 15, 2017, Peele tweeted “’Get Out’ is a documentary.” For it being a representation of his personal experiences and feelings, it’s full of “jokes” and situations that shouldn’t even be considered for combatting racism or teaching white people a lesson, or for making other Black people feel heard or understood or protected. The immense tonal shifts between scenes of horror and anxiety and those of jokes and laughter makes it hard for an audience to get the point. Is Chris in danger or not? Is Rod going to help him or not? Will Chris leave?
Final Judgement:
As a white person who has never been affected by these types of anxieties or felt the same way as Chris, I think this movie was successful at portraying how it feels to be a Black person in similar situations. The relatability of the movie discussed earlier outweighs the weakness. Especially because it allows such a large group of people to relate to its content and understand what the character is feeling — as said by some of Peele’s fans according to IndieWire who appreciate the representation (Kohn). It is also forcing non-Black people to get “second-hand embarrassment” or to feel a sense of discomfort along with Chris. Therefore, forcing them to feel what Chris, and many other Black people in real life, feel. However, the biggest weakness of the film may harm its message by categorizing it incorrectly and potentially taking away some credibility or authenticity (in content/purpose). As a result, it could turn off audiences that it was actually intended for.
Author’s Purpose:
With the low budget he had, I believe Peele did an incredible job at tugging on peoples’ thoughts and emotions. It can be easy to overlook details or a main message of a movie, especially the first time you watch it. In Get Out, I think that’s impossible. Peele throws it right in your face when Rose’s dad makes the comment about Obama, when his friends continuously touch Chris’s arms without consent and one makes a sexual inclination about his “area.” Peele makes you feel what Chris is feeling by making the script so upfront and vulgar. This is a thrilling and not-so-far-fetched tale of the isolation and anxiety that Black people may feel. This especially goes for situations where they feel like no one around them understands or truly respects them as a human being. While looking for an educational yet entertaining take on a racial/discrimination issue — this is the movie to watch.
Works Cited
Yuan, J., & Harris, H. (2018, February 22). Vulture. The First Great Movie of the Trump Era. https://www.vulture.com/article/get-out-oral-history-jordan-peele.html
Arogundade, A. (2021, March 6). “Get Out” The Little Movie With A Big Message — The Baseline. Medium. https://medium.com/the-base-line/get-out-the-little-movie-with-a-big-message-3152f34cd6d6#:%7E:text=The%20film%20was%20made%20to,t%20really%20matter%20but%20does.
Robinson, T. (2017, February 24). Get Out review: a ruthlessly smart racial send-up that’s also terrifying. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/24/14724404/jordan-peele-get-out-movie-review-race-horror-film
Kohn, E. (2017, November 15). Jordan Peele Challenges Golden Globes Classifying ‘Get Out’ As a Comedy: ‘What Are You Laughing At?’ IndieWire. https://www.indiewire.com/2017/11/jordan-peele-response-get-out-golden-globes-comedy-1201897841/
Eligon, J. (2019, February 16). The ‘Some of My Best Friends Are Black’ Defense. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/16/sunday-review/ralph-northam-blackface-friends.html
Ramos, D. R. (2017, October 27). ‘Get Out’ Director Jordan Peele On Divisiveness, Black Identity & The “White Savior.” DEADLINE. Retrieved February 20, 2022, from https://deadline.com/2017/10/jordan-peele-get-out-film-independent-forum-keynote-speaker-diversity-inclusion-1202192699/
