‘Get Out’ an Important Work of Sheer Terror (FILM REVIEW)

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It’s rare that a horror film feels important. Mostly horror exists as pure escapism; a fun romp through the fields of terror that allows audiences to escape their lives for 90 minutes at a time. On a level, Get Out certainly does that. The thrills it offers, however, pale in comparison to everything else the film does. It’s a horror film that transcends comparison, offering a remarkable commentary on the state of race relations in America today.

These days, white America doesn’t like to think about how we’re perceived by members of marginalized communities; instead, we tend to prefer keeping our heads buried in the sand and telling ourselves that everything is fine. Anything that takes us out of our uncomfortable façade is met with backlash and cries of “reverse racism”—a sort of rhetorical equivalent of covering your ears and screaming “I can’t hear you!” Maybe it’s white guilt; maybe it’s willful ignorance. I can’t really say. But it doesn’t take much to see that things aren’t as great as we would like to believe.

Writer/director Jordan Peele (Key and Peele, Keanu) drives a stake right through the heart of the notion of a raceless utopia in his directorial debut. Get Out is a film that drives home the fears of the African American community regarding white people in a way that’s understandable to all. Watching it, I couldn’t help thinking about Malcolm X’s speech on white liberals and how they’ll smile and nod in agreement while betraying you in the same moment. That’s not a sentiment many in the white community can understand or, really, are even ready to hear. Get Out’s power is in making that palpable.

Daniel Kaluuya (Sicario) stars as Chris, who’s being taken by his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams, Girls) to meet the parents (Bradley Whitford, The West Wing and Catherine Keener, Captain Phillips). Chris is understandably nervous, especially when he discovers Rose hasn’t informed her parents that she’s dating a black guy. Once there, he discovers a loving, if awkward, family—the kind who attempt to bond by assuring him that they, “Would’ve voted for Obama a third time.” He soon discovers a hidden darkness beneath the surface. The other African Americans he encounters in the affluent neighborhood seem a little off, almost brainwashed. Can Chris figure out what’s going on before something awful happens to him?

It may be tempting to write Get Out off as just another rip off of The Stepford Wives; it certainly owes a debt to the Ira Levin classic. But the similarities are really only surface level, using a similar enough conceit to explore the fears and concerns of the black America in a smart, and endlessly fun, manner. Peele brings the same sharp wit and dialogue that propelled Key and Peele to the forefront of modern comedy to the world of horror to create an intelligent and thought provoking thriller.

Explored here are the fears of losing identity and self. One of the most repeated refrains from white folk is this idea that African Americans would be accepted if they were just more like us. Without realizing it, this merely perpetuates an “otherness” that’s nearly inescapable from the African American community, creating an environment of tension and aggression that’s not easily unwoven. Throughout the film, Chris experiences all manner of microaggressions in form of seemingly benign comments regarding his athletic build and well-spokenness, which he allows to wash over him in the same way you might dismiss a slap to the face.

As the film continues, we’re taken deeper and deeper into this reality as Peele uses the fears of being classified as an “other” as a jumping off point for deeper issues that stem from the reality that not so long ago black people were bought and sold as cattle. Rose’s parents and family come at him all smiles and handshakes, but an auction scene shows that something sinister is going on.

You’re not meant to feel comfortable watching Get Out, though Peele eases us into the discomfort as best he can. Though primarily it’s a horror film, the terror is punctuated by moments of real comedy. LilRel Howery nearly steals the show as Chris’ friend Rod, a fast talking, wise cracking TSA agent. But even the comedy serves a higher purpose, becoming a musing on how the black community will often use humor to deflect the real fears they have about the intentions and thoughts of their white co-citizens.

The result is a dark work of absolute terror, which boldly explores the hidden realities of modern America that white people would just rather not discuss. Using the lexicon of horror, however, this reality and the fears that propel it are presented in a way that’s easily digestible. They’re exaggerated, sure. It’s a horror movie. No one is actually afraid that white people are turning the African American community into mindless automatons. As a metaphor, however, it’s a great jumping off point.

Whether we like it or not, the reality of race relations is a conversation we have to have. With Get Out, the entire discussion is reframed and perhaps we can finally have it. It might be too much to expect white America to finally remove its head from the sand—it’s pretty comfortable down there when you get to pretend nothing is wrong—but imagine the world we could build if we talked about these things instead of just ignoring them. Get Out might start the conversation, but it’s up to us to keep it going.

Get Out is now playing in theaters everywhere.

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