“Get Out” wins Best Original Screenplay, twice
On February 12th and March 4th respectively, the movie Get Out won Best Original Screenplay at both the Writers’ Guild of America and the 90th annual Academy Awards. Before that, this social satire horror movie had gained several other award nominations from ceremonies such as the Critics’ Choice Awards, Golden Globe Awards, etc, as well as garnering much attention from the public.
The movie is directed by Jordan Peele, famous for his comedy show Key & Peele, and stars Daniel Kaluuya as Chris, a black male photographer who is invited to his white girlfriend’s house where he uncovers the ugly secret of her family.
Get Out opens with a scene where a black man was kidnapped and killed, and that happens just within the first five minutes. There is a lot of foreshadowing in the film and audiences are carefully led to the result by details. Some may argue the first part of the movie—where the main character is finding the truth—is too long and boring; on the other hand, others may believe those tiny details help them to understand the plot better. “If there’s no foreshadowing… the pace of the movie would be too fast and it would confuse me,” Julia Park (CT11B) argued. In addition, it should be remembered that it’s a horror movie, not an action film. And so, giving the audience time to think enhances their viewing experience by the build-up of the suspense. “I remember the scene when Chris was about to leave the house. He was looking at his girlfriend’s old pictures, and then she suddenly came and asked ‘what are you doing?'” Julia recalled. “I couldn’t forget the feeling for days.” There was something else that she couldn’t forget from the film: the sound of that spoon stirring in a teacup. In the movie, Rose’s mother used this sound to hypnotize Chris. Julia said that after watching the movie, she was frightened every time her mother started to stir spoons in a cup.
However, middle school English teacher Mr. Dave Turner held a different opinion about whether it is a horror movie: “It’s funny, because when I went to see the movie, I didn’t know what it was really about. I just read that it was a horror movie… It’s not really [scary].” He then decided, “I thought… Suspense makes [more] sense.”
Though Get Out’s genre is horror, its subject is racism. In this movie, all victims are black, and white people control their lives completely, as if they view black people more as property instead of human beings. Chris is viewed as an outsider in the family, with the family’s attitude and actions becoming increasingly disturbing. There isn’t one straightforward word that points to racism directly – in fact, the family members outwardly praise Chris through most of the movie. This theme was indirectly portrayed to the audience. “Sometimes it was a little… [too] symbolic,” Mr. Turner commented, saying the film’s commentary was, at times, “forced (not really believable)”.
Get Out is a wonderful movie to watch, but also one that challenges you to take time to think deeply about a difficult social issue. However, as a disclaimer: it does become violent towards the end, which is why it is rated R. So be sure to watch it with an adult if you’re under 17!
Featured image — Daniel Kaluuya speaking in San Diego, California Courtesy of Gage Skidmore via Flickr