Get Out is the directional debut of Jordon Peele. It is a horror/comedy/satire/thriller hybrid and Peele juggles all of these genres with the nimbleness of an Olympic gymnast.
I think by now, with all the sensation surrounding said film, that most people will know the premise. Daniel Kaluuya's Chris goes to visit the wealthy white parents of his girlfriend Rose, played by Allison Williams. A film that's starting level is one of substantial unease and discomfort, ramps its way all the way up to screeching terror. This film handles many of the world's prescient fears and the societal evils that are boiling over. The film deals with covert racism in so-called liberal America. It is easy for comedians to be sloppy when it comes to satire, often making some generalised point that lacks acerbic clarity. However, what is difficult is to create a nuanced, complex, narrative contained within a satirical mission. This is when satire becomes useful and can make the comfortable uncomfortable. Peele weaves his narrative so that the audience slowly peels back different layers of racism and ignorance to find that the ugly violence and possessorship of the past lays beneath and is not, in fact, a thing of the past but of the present. When the pleasant facade, that forms the establishing shots of the film, is peeled back we find a rotting, fly-ridden core- we are yet to rid society of institutionalised racism and even the most privileged of us are starting to see the glitches in the matrix that we convinced ourselves was a secure progressive reality.
Get Out is what I wish all films could be like; well rounded and developed in multiple facets. If Get Out was a university applicant they would have a glittering UCAS form that would likely include being captain of the hockey team and work experience at the UN. Just as it is a skilful satire it also works on an emotional level, has funny broad comedic elements, and manages to capture an incredibly disturbing atmosphere.
The cinematography is handled with the same flair and prowess as the plot and thematic points. It really is amazing. How to describe it? That is a difficult venture. It captures an American gothic uncanniness. The cinematography often veers into the surreal and manages to capture a really strong sense of emotion through visuals and sound alone. This aesthetic experience is something I've been exploring at university. I have yet to discover the key to creating this experience or even to understand why and how we can have these immersive experiences. What I do know is that Get Out manages to create this pure feeling of emotion from within the screen. The varied and eclectic imagery is ripe with ingrained references and significance from society and film, allowing dread and uncanny to rise. However perhaps more than this, it is the music choices, especially in the operating theatre scene, that can so gracefully manipulate my mind from a state of feverish fear to meditative melancholy.
Get Out is a brilliant film so get out and see it.
(PS- When you get back in, watch Wisecrack's Philosophy of Get Out and Screen Prism's Get out video on Youtube.)
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