This
afternoon we all went to see Jordon Peele’s (of Comedy Central’s Key &
Peele show) first movie, Get Out.
It’s billed as a comedy-horror film, which may sound like a contradiction in
terms, but really does work.
I am not a
fan of horror films, but I have watched one or two just to see what it’s all
about. I do love comedy, and while Get
Out is not funny-haha, it has plenty of dark humor. The film takes all the
necessary features of horror – the naïve protagonist confronted with open doors
he can’t resist, characters who act strangely, characters who are not who they
seem, scary walks outside at night, a cellphone mysteriously removed from its
recharge cord, and plenty of gore at the end – with a twist that takes cultural appropriation a step beyond.
Instead of the innocent young (always
white) woman, we have an innocent young black man who is the central character,
as Rosie, white, brings her new boyfriend, Chris, home to meet her liberal
parents in their home in the woods. Rosie’s father is a neurosurgeon, her
mother a psychiatrist who uses hypnotism. Hypnotism is the entry toward Chris’s
lack of control.
The opening
scene is a classic horror scene, but also replicates the very real fear black
men feel walking on a tree-shaded suburban street at night. As Chris becomes
more unnerved in this strange house, he tries for reality checks by calling his
friend Rod, a TSA agent, and Rod is more than a bystander. The underlying plot is wholly consistent, and weirdly
believable. I can’t say more without spoilers, so I’ll leave you with a
recommendation to see this movie, and an interview with Peele, the writer and
director.
Among the
four of us, two really liked it, one somewhat liked it, and one was not sure. But
we all found something to like and to talk about, and what more can you ask of
a movie?
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I'm posting this too late to meet the Two Writing Teachers' deadline, but I am committed to writing a slice every day, to keep up with the challenge.
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