By George Haerle
For The Daily World
The month of March has begun some kind of strange and awesome cinematic odyssey, starting at Riverside Cinemas with “Get Out.” March has an unusually amazing lineup of movies coming out, continuing with “Logan,” and later “Kong: Skull Island” and “Beauty and the Beast.” Between “Get Out” and “Logan,” it’s a toss-up on which you should choose — both are fantastic. But “Get Out” may not be in theaters nearly as long as “Logan” will, and it absolutely should be seen.
While we live in a time where satire is starting to become reality, one of the very small caveats, just in terms of movies, is that a turbulent political climate can tend to create immersive and engrossing art. “Star Wars” is a spot-on example of this, as George Lucas wrote it partially as a metaphor for the Vietnam War and Nixon administration. (Richard Nixon left office three years before “Star Wars” came out.)
“Get Out” may be another example of this — a horror/thriller/comedy with a brilliant satirical premise. The most terrifying thing about it is how relevant and immersive it is, because it feels like something that could happen (except for a couple of points during its climax). While this is great, the rise of hate crimes and the “alt-right” only makes “Get Out” feel that much more disturbing.
This is the debut film of Jordan Peele (half of the genius comedy duo of Key and Peele), but he created it with the skill of a master filmmaker. An immense amount of care was put into the writing of this movie, with tiny metaphorical and symbolic details littered throughout — some I caught, and others I didn’t catch until I scoured the internet for more information afterward. You may want to see this movie a second time, just to notice every little thing you missed.
After an opening of a black man being horrifically abducted in a solitary, rich and predominantly white neighborhood (ask yourself: How many times have you thought of or seen a scenario where a white person is traveling scared through a ghetto, rather than the other way around?), the movie follows Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) and Rose (Allison Williams), an interracial couple traveling to said neighborhood to visit her parents (played at high levels of unsettling by Bradley Whitford and Catherine Keener) for the weekend. Aside from the random abduction that our characters are unaware of, it should be no big deal, right? Actually, yes, it is.
Chris has reservations because Rose hasn’t told her parents he is black. It is implied that he’s used to the typical ignorant racism everyone has heard about, but many have the privilege not to have experienced.
Those obvious signs of hate seem to be anything but the issue, though, as they arrive at Rose’s parents’ home and they are overjoyed that Chris is black. That’s where things start to get very creepy.
Rose’s parents become obsessed with Chris’ race. All of their conversations with him veer toward the subject, and for some reason Rose’s psychologist mother is desperately trying to put him under hypnosis to help him get rid of a smoking habit.
All of their rich white friends are invited over to their manor the next day, and all of them are even more fixated on Chris than Rose’s parents — so much so it gets very uncomfortable and invasive for him. Soon, things get way more bonkers.
Rod, Chris’ TSA agent friend back home (LilRel Howery, who almost exclusively adds the comedic element to the movie) is the only person outside the family’s estate Chris can get hold of, and barely. What they discover, between Rod’s research and Chris starting to experience the deeply disturbing behavior of this secluded community, is a freakish social nightmare you have to see to believe.
The breed of racism that “Get Out” displays is fascinatingly awful, a systemic and obsessive form that veils itself as something good-natured when it is beyond malevolent. Those who aren’t savvy about the issues faced by African Americans may come out of the movie with a completely new perspective on what racism means, and how it involves more than just the use of slurs and vile language.
“Get Out” explores the kinds of people who would use others to further their own needs — not just in the historical perspective of slavery, but also those in our country today who see African Americans as people to exploit.
Anyone can spout racist mantra based on pure ignorance. The truly scary kind of racist is the one who is educated and has been introduced to larger perspectives and a larger world, yet chooses to act and think the way they do regardless of the facts presented to them. “Get Out” perfectly shows just how terrifying institutional racism is, and as such it is a must-see.
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“Get Out” is currently playing at the Riverside Cinemas, 1017 S. Boone St. in Aberdeen.
George Haerle holds a bachelor’s degree in creative writing for media and lives in Cosmopolis.
