It’s About Time You Get Up and See Get Out
Get Out took the film industry by storm, virtually warping our minds with all of its hidden meanings and connotations. The movie follows an African American (Daniel Kaluuya) who goes to meet his white girlfriend’s (Allison Williams) parents for the first time, and things just get crazy from there. Directed by Jordan Peele, it challenges everything its viewers have become comfortable with; but you will not be sitting pretty after witnessing it. I left the theater thinking one word to myself: insane. It’s insane what the characters go through and endure. It’s insane that what occurs in this film all flowed together seamlessly. It’s insane that so much of it could very easily be real.
For starters, one of the more surprising notions about this film is its director, Jordan Peele. Previously known for things such as Key and Peele and Keanu, Peele has an entire career set around comedy and acting in a live TV show. This film was his directorial debut, and it came as an unexpected outcome for those who were previous fans of his. He went from acting and creating a show that is purely comical, to making a movie that tackles demanding topics such as racism, slavery, and social injustice. Peele himself said that he believes comedy and horror are easily connected, as they are both raw, real, and revealing. He used his background in comedy to integrate a satirical side to the film, offering a touch of laughter to a film experience that is otherwise horrendous and unbelievable; even though some events that occur in the film have in fact happened to Peele in real life (watch out for that party scene). The majority of the scenes hint at all of the ignorance that so many people have in regard to the racism, specifically against African Americans, that happens in the real world, and Peele wanted to shock people into realizing that. In my opinion, he succeeded in doing so. All of this put together brings on an eerie feel. As a viewer, no matter what race you are, it is very possibly to feel uncomfortable with everything that is carried out in the film, even though you know that’s all it is. It’s fake and fictional. But there’s a question you may still have leaving the theater; is it all fake?
Here’s another crazy part that I consider; it’s not all fictional. There’s good reason as to why Time magazine, the National Board of Review, and the American Film Institute named this movie as one of the top 10 films of 2017. There’s good reason as to why it won an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, and made around $255 million worldwide. The world is tearing at its seams when it comes to talking about social injustice, and there may be some people out there who believe that our society has moved past that, ‘that’ being racism and the touchy, brutal topic of slavery. But the majority knows that this is a lie. Get Out talks about these things inconspicuously, presenting racist situations that do not come off as such at first. This leads to a greater understanding of just how impactful and hurtful these acts can be, because they are covered at the surface, making it at first seem okay. For example, without giving any context, there is a scene where the main character is forced to pick cotton out of a chair. This is a reference to how slaves were forced to pick cotton as labor, and the film is full of subtle references like this one. While some allude to slavery, others can be tied to white privilege and racism against blacks in America. Of course, films like this could be perceived in an entirely negative way, but that was not the case for this film.
The content of Get Out is extremely well-though out and phenomenally put together, and it becomes that much closer to perfection with its sound and camerawork. The actual score that accompanies the film, put together by Michael Abels, has significant meaning, encompassing African American music. A prime example is the opening song, that makes more appearances in the film, a Swahili piece that roughly translates in English to “listen to your ancestors”, which was intended to be interpreted as a warning to the main character, almost screaming to him to literally get out of his situation. Take this example and add in all of the non-diegetic sounds typical in classic horror movies, carefully pieced together to raise the audience’s anxiety and make jump scares that much more terrifying, and you’ve got a musical partner in crime to create a gripping film. Also, in association with the sound, is the cinematography, pieced meticulously together to show every viewpoint possible. Often times the camera will focus on one object at a time, or one character at a time. In scenes where you can see more than one character, there is often a feeling of disorder and unease. There’s too much going on. As this occurs throughout the majority of the beginning of the film, it only adds to the tension that builds between the characters as the plot is carried out. As a viewer, I was constantly following every change of focus and completely captivated by it. I was left dazed and enraptured at the same time, and I guarantee that’s how everyone who sees this film will feel as well.
Get Out is a work of art that tackles harsh topics, all while taking its audience on a rollercoaster ride of realizations. Making it onto the top 20 highest grossing horror movies of all time, it’s earned its spot in history, starting a conversation that needs to be had about social injustice in our society today. I am glad that I was able to not just watch, but experience this movie. It’s eye-opening to things that most of the population may be ignorant too, and maybe that’s exactly what the film industry is here for. Maybe that’s exactly what it’s doing.
