'Get Out' Is A Smart, Satirical Look On Society and Racism

Rating: 8/10 (23 February 2017)

OVERVIEW: Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is invited by his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) to spend the weekend at her parents estate. This will be the first time Chris has met them and is nervous how their interracial relationship will be received. Something Rose has not warned her parents of. When they first arrive, Chris takes note that both the maid and groundskeeper for the family are black. However, Rose's father Dean (Bradley Whitford) assures him that there are no racial motivations. Even more odd is her mother Missy (Catherine Keener) who practices hypnosis. Despite Chris' decline for a session, she performs it on him anyways.
As the weekend gets underway, the family hosts their yearly party with friends, all of whom are white. Chris is growing uncomfortable as it seems everyone is trying way to hard to seem like they aren't racist. They bring up liking Barack Obama, Tiger woods and even make remarks about his physique. He is surprised to see one black man and attempts to chat with him to ease the awkwardness, but finds the young man to be just as odd as the rest of them. Chris finds comfort in a phone call with his cousin Rod (Lil Rel Howery), who swears something sinister is going on. Both he and his cousin continue to grow in their paranoia as they piece together the strange happenings.
THOUGHTS: For this horror film, the scares are subtle tricks played upon the audience. It follows more of a psychological thriller pattern, avoiding unnecessary jump scares or relying on gore to aid its story. There is an unease that follows you throughout the film as you try to dissect each character and what is truly going on. It's full of tension and continually plays with your mind. There is also a wonderfully unsettling visual representation of hypnosis that this film utilizes for when Chris is incapacitated. It was reminiscent of The Twilight Zone and it was an interesting way to show the helplessness one could feel.
Not surprising was the amount of great comedic moments in this film. There were much needed moments of levity throughout, most delivered by Lil Rel Howery. Use of humor were at times when it felt natural and it wasn't an attempt to overpower the film or its message. Jordan Peele has found so much success in comedy, which was why so many were shocked to hear he was directing and writing this film. This was a nice way for him to merge his love of horror with what he is best known for.
Also worth its own praise is the amazing performance by Daniel Kaluuya. Many will recognize him from his appearance in the Black Mirror episode "Fifteen Million Merits". His portrayal of the emotionally scarred Chris was such a well-developed character in a genre that sometimes forgets how to do that.
Tackling racial issues in a horror movie seemed to unnerve some people when the trailer initially dropped. It was easy for people to judge it on the surface, especially for a topic that makes some people uncomfortable. Without getting into spoiler territory, not only is the subject of racism addressed, but also the idea of genetically superiority as well as life. The film is not so easy to dissect and is really a fun one to watch.