Get Out
Overview
Get Out is a 2017 horror film written and directed by Jordan Peele in his directorial debut, and it became an instant classic that redefined the horror genre. The film follows Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a young Black photographer, who is about to meet the parents of his white girlfriend Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). Chris is nervous about the meeting, and Rose assures him that her parents are not racist and that his race will not be an issue. They drive to the Armitage family estate, a beautiful, isolated property in the woods. Rose's parents, neurosurgeon Dean (Bradley Whitford) and hypnotherapist Missy (Catherine Keener), are warm and welcoming — almost too warm. Dean awkwardly tries to prove he is not racist by mentioning that he voted for Obama three times. Missy uses her hypnotherapy to "help" Chris quit smoking, but he wakes up trapped in a dark void called the Sunken Place, unable to move or speak while his consciousness is submerged. At a garden party full of wealthy, elderly white people, Chris is treated with a strange combination of curiosity and condescension. One guest, a blind art dealer named Jim Hudson (Stephen Root), is particularly interested in Chris's photography. Another guest, a young Black man named Logan (Lakeith Stanfield), behaves oddly, speaking stiffly and wearing a suit that looks uncomfortable. Chris tries to take a picture of Logan with his phone, but Logan screams at him to "get out." The film's horrifying truth is gradually revealed: the Armitage family is kidnapping Black people and performing a secret surgical procedure that transplants the consciousnesses of wealthy white people into their bodies, allowing them to "become" young, strong, and "cool." Logan is actually a white man named Roman inside a Black body. Jim Hudson wants Chris's eyes — his gift for photography. Chris must fight for his life, and the film's climax is a brutal, cathartic rampage as Chris uses the skills he learned from his TSA agent friend Rod (Lil Rel Howery) to kill the entire Armitage family. The film's true horror lies not in ghosts or monsters, but in the insidious, "liberal" racism of people who think they are good. Dean and Missy are not screaming bigots — they are polite, educated, and wealthy, but they see Black bodies as commodities. The Sunken Place became a powerful metaphor for the experience of being silenced and stripped of agency. Daniel Kaluuya delivers a phenomenal performance, conveying terror, rage, and vulnerability. Get Out was a massive critical and commercial success, earning over $255 million worldwide on a $4.5 million budget. It was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor for Daniel Kaluuya, and won for Best Original Screenplay. Get Out is a landmark horror film, a sharp social satire, and a brilliant directorial debut.
