Get Out (2017)

Rating: 9/10 (15 December 2019)

Directed by Jordan Peele. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Caleb Landry Jones, Lil Rel Howery, Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Root, Betty Gabriel, Erika Alexander, Marcus Henderson. (R)
Writer/director Peele's satirical horror film is incisive, thoughtful, provocative, discomforting, flat-out entertaining; one of the best feature film debuts in years. Story follows young black man Kaluuya, traveling with his white girlfriend (Williams) to meet her folks, but something is definitely off with not just her family, but the entire situation. A near-perfect balance between that which arrests and that which unsettles, keeping the audience fully invested in what's happening (primarily through humor, character development, and the turning of the plot screws) while also putting them on edge and squirming in their seats. Even if one goes into the film completely cold, there aren't too many surprise revelations, and the build-up is better than the payoff, but it's that rare instance of a movie based around twists and suspense and toying with audience expectations that actually improves on the revisit; plenty to think about and unpeel and study at different angles, details and asides that can be missed the first time around. Also added "Sunken Place" to the modern lexicon, which is always on the lookout for the latest buzzword to mishandle and dilute.
91/100