Member review

'Get Out (Peele, 2017)' is a instant classic, brought to life spectacularly by a first-time director - the quality of camerawork, alongside the film's soundtrack and score and quality actors, makes for an incredible debut from Jordan Peele.

Research into the writers' inspiration for the film revealed that the director began his write-up for 'Get Out' in 2011, six years prior to its release in 2017. The ambiguous horror deals heavily with issues regarding race and ignorance in society; the idea for the film's production was born during the rise to power of diverse, influential figures such as President Barack Obama. However, such themes surrounding racial identity remain prominent throughout and are visually portrayed by the film's fantastic leads - Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams, in the roles of Chris Washington and Rose Armitage, along with many other well-known, Hollywood names.

The film follows a young African-American photographer, Chris, and his white girlfriend, Rose, as they journey to visit Rose's parents. Chris, at first nervous about meeting the rest of the Armitage family, is put at ease by Rose's parents' warm, yet somehow awkward, welcome. But Chris' friend, Rod - a TSA officer - is uncomfortable with his friend's choice to meet his white girlfriend's family so soon in their relationship. His seemingly absurd and comedic concerns about the intentions of the wealthy family from the start begin to parallel the plot's twisted reality as the film progresses.

Foreshadowing is a huge part of the film's fundamental process - this use of narrative technique allows the audience to become sidelined, or find subtle clues during a second viewing which were otherwise unrecognisable the first time around. Every element involved in the film seemed to have adopted a more sinister aura when watched for a second time, especially focusing shots of characters' faces and their body-language - the more often you watch, the more you second guess what you thought you knew.

And as for the shots and camerawork - every individual use of cinematography, be that the ominous wide shot, prevalent in this film in particular, or slow panning/zooming movements, took on a much deeper meaning. Close-ups of characters faces no longer just indicated fear or anger, but a sinister combination of deranged evil and cringe-inducing terror! Wide shots established the film in a more psychological way, and turned its back on the lingering, slasher genre.

Lighting also played a massive part in the film's aesthetic composition, as the diversity of the lighting techniques used mirrored the aura surrounding a particular character or event, subtly yet effectively.

Costumes and set were chosen diligently by the director to discretely convey the racial division, through Chris' hipster apartment and the Armitages' colonial mansion. Chris and Rose, while presented as the main focus of the film, are depicted as polar opposites - Rose's classy, understated outfits reflect her cultural and financial upbringing, contrasting from Chris' more casual, rugged look.

The director's use of continuity editing gives the film its smooth build-up to the shocking climax; cross-cutting is used in the opening scene to establish Chris and Rose's roles in their relationship. This is an effective opener as it allows the audience to see the characters first as individuals, rather than a partnership, and what they are like in each other's absence. This proves to be a significant editorial choice later in the film.

And sound - a phenomenal soundtrack is chosen critically by Peele, which highlights the cultural diversity of the film, while also masterfully selecting scores by Michael Abels that inflict a chill on the audience in the most personal of ways. The use of contrapuntal sound in the pre-opening-credit scene was particularly chilling! Sound effects were also a huge contributing factor to the film's aesthetic - one of the most powerful being the memorable, distinct elevator ding in the film's intro. Although this was a subtle use of sound, it signalled the beginning of the ominous, powerful events that would follow Rose and her family.

Not only a master-class in acting from Kaluuya and Williams, but also a wildly unpredictable performance from Academy Award nominee, Catherine Keener, who stars as Rose's mother, Dr. Missy Armitage, and Lil Rel Howery as TSA Officer Rod Williams.

Overall, a superb thriller from Jordan Peele, worthy of its Oscar win for 'Best Original Screenplay' and actors' nominations - as well as leaving open its plot doorways for potential sequels/prequels! A true eye-opener that should be seen by everybody at some point in their lives, that is capable of captivating audiences while reminding them of the sinister, real-life horror that is racism.