About a month after the great Cheeto was inaugurated into the presidency earlier this year, Director Jordan Peele seemingly provided the clapback every marginalized person of color wished to express in defiance of Trump’s divisive rhetoric and wildly unsurprising idiocy. Something that was surprising, however, was how well Get Out explained to everyone just how covertly racist they were in a way that was so entertaining, that loads of people accepted it as truth and praised the movie for being so enlightening. But hey, if you tried to convince me of my most disturbing misgivings while also making me nearly pee myself from laughter one second and jump out of fear the next, I’d probably have a hard time denying them, too.
Peele’s genius lies in his ability to combat this passive aggressive racism by exploiting it and flipping it on its head, in a way that is completely advantageous to the promotion of his cause. Even more impressive, is that the story is totally relatable no matter which side you’re looking at it from. So, while the point may be very focused, the targeted audience is as broad as can be. Except young children. Young children probably shouldn’t watch this. (Although hey, you’re never too young to get woke.)
Beyond taking on an important issue, the movie is also just really good. Peele found great leads in Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams, to drive a story filled with twists I couldn’t have seen coming with a pair of military grade binoculars. Peele’s filmmaking is very refined, and he gives his actors a dynamically framed perspective in which to illustrate their immense talent. He takes all the quintessential horror tropes—creepy house, jumpy music, unhinged characters— and elevates it, forcing you to take it more seriously than you would any average slasher flick or monster movie.
It’s not every day that a piece of cinema goes beyond entertainment and contributes to the greater conversation. Get Out is a transcendent example of its genre, as Peele takes the dull skeleton of a horror film and gives it a brain and a sense of humor and an attitude, and sets it off into the world to kick ass, take names and hold people accountable.
10/10 would ABSOLUTELY recommend.