Peele Your Eyes on "Get Out"

Jordan Peele's script-to-screen perfection never gets old.

By Janelle Lee Austin

September 1, 2024

My first encounter with Jordan Peele's work was watching him on MadTV. More recently, I enjoyed his absurd comedy Keanu, in which his only goal is to find his kidnapped kitten through gangsters and thugs. It's remarkable how someone so skilled at comedy can also dive into the darkest corners of their psyche to create films like Nope and Us. Peele's versatility is inspiring, proving that we don't need to confine ourselves to a single genre.

When I first saw Get Out in 2017, it reminded me of the 1980s, when my mom was married to a Black man, and we traveled to Mississippi to visit family during the holidays. The further we drove from Dallas into the Deep South, the more the attitude toward our family shifted. Fortunately, my family accepted us without any hidden agendas. That is not the case for Chris Washington.

Get Out follows an interracial couple visiting the woman's white family for the first time. Despite his reservations and his friend Rod's (Lil Rel Howery) warnings, Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) agrees to go. Upon arrival, he is greeted warmly, but beneath the surface, there are sinister motives. Chris is hypnotized by his girlfriend's mother, Missy (Catherine Keener), forcing him to confront past regrets while falling under her control. He soon uncovers a disturbing family secret: his girlfriend, Rose (Allison Williams), has been luring him and her previous Black partners home so her father, Dean (Bradley Whitford), can transplant the brains of dying family members and high-paying friends, into the bodies of young Black people, granting them prolonged life.

Peele's writing is masterful, blending an everyday scenario with surreal twists that, while unlikely in reality, tap into deep-seated fears and thoughts. The film's narrative is reminiscent of the horrors of slavery, reimagined with a modern twist, suggesting that Peele wants to convey that oppression still exists today. Peele's directorial vision perfectly translates his script to the screen, using creative point-of-view shots to express Chris's isolation in a house full of white people. The symbolic use of the deer, representing the hunted, carries through the film until Chris turns the tables and becomes the hunter, culminating in a satisfying narrative arc.

Get Out is one of the best psychological thrillers of all time. Its brilliantly crafted script and direction allow audiences to connect deeply with the main character, feeling a sense of unease and urgency throughout the film. It's an edge-of-your-seat ride. I give Jordan Peele's Get Out a "ten-point buck."