"GET OUT" by Jordan Peele is a fantastic film that covers real-world issues while adding a solid plotline and even some humor. The movie is centered around a young black man named Chris going on a short getaway trip with his white girlfriend of five months, Rose, to meet her parents for the first time. On this trip, Chris realizes that things are off. There are only two black people at this residence, and they have seemingly white behaviorism. We later find out these people are actually white people inside of a black body, essentially using it as a vessel. Meanwhile, the individual who originally owned the body lives in “the sunken place,”-- a state of hypnosis induced by Rose’s mother, Missy, to transfer the white brain into the black body. Chris realizes the same thing will happen to him and escapes by killing the entire family and being picked up by his friend Rod. Then the film ends. Roll credits.
When I first saw the film, I was about 14 years old, and while I understood the concept, I didn’t truly grasp its depth and meaning. As a 19-year-old, I see why this movie was so monumental. Peele became an auteur. Peele established his own style, blending horror, race, and even a bit of comedy into one movie. He has since gone on to create other films like “Us” and “Nope,” which have an (almost) all-black cast, which is so rare and unique. Peele uses his films to highlight societal issues and cultural norms while making an entertaining movie. What I liked most about Get Out was that everything was intentional. Every piece of dialog and small gesture was made on purpose to portray a message subtly. I think Get Out is a movie you can’t truly appreciate until you’ve seen it twice. Because when I rewatched it, I saw all the hints and cues I had missed in my first watch. Peele doesn’t rely on monsters to scare the audience. In his movies, humans are the monsters, Because we most certainly can be.
Looking strictly at Jordan Peele’s cinematography, I think he told the story beautifully. One particular scene that stands out to me is the infamous hypnosis scene with Missy and Chris in the living room area. This scene is so powerful for numerous reasons. For starters, it is the first time we have “evidence” that something is off about the family—everything up until this point was speculative.
In the first “shot,” we see Missy and Chris talking about the same distance from the camera at a medium shot. This shot is intended to create neutrality, as they are “equals” at this moment. There doesn’t seem to be any noticeable power dynamic shift (other than the fact that it is Rose’s mother), and they seem just to have a conversation. As the scene progresses, the camera gets closer and closer to the characters, making the audience uneasy. As the shots switch back and forth between the two, a slow zoom begins on Chris’s face. It’s building anticipation and signaling to the audience that something is about to happen. Looking at the frames, we can see they don’t appear full other than Chris’ face. All that is behind him is a lamp and curtains, and they aren’t very in focus with the camera. I think this was done intentionally, so the audience has nowhere to look but Chris’s face and to make the setting more realistic. After watching multiple interviews with Peele about his film “Get Out,” he repeatedly mentioned that he didn’t want the characters to do anything that everyday people wouldn’t do. So in this scene, the setting itself doesn’t cause alarm. As I previously mentioned, Peele’s attention to detail is awe-inspiring as we analyze slight potential hints and clues to what could be coming down the line. For example, I think that the fact that both Chris and Missy were mainly wearing white clothes was intentional. It maybe was intended to symbolize that Chris was a black body in a white shell (clothing). Missy might’ve been wearing almost-all white to indicate the color she thought was superior.
The set design is perfect because it resembles every ordinary white family home. There seemingly is nothing too crazy or off-put about the house itself. The lighting is dimmed but slightly, giving an ominous feeling but not so ominous that it feels completely unrealistic. Peele doesn’t use long shots very often in his work. He likes the camera to be closer to the character, to get into their feelings and understand their mind. He creates intimacy between the character and the audience.
Peele was very creative in his stylistic choices for his film. Everything felt intentional, and there was a backstory or reasoning. There were little to no jumpscares, but that didn’t make the movie any less horrifying. He made a horror film just by the mere concept of the movie. That is an exceptionally unique talent that gives Peele the right to his title of being an “auteur.”
As an overall consensus, this is one of the better movies of the decade and is worth the watch. It is terrifying, has humor elements, and starts a serious yet needed conversation.
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