07/21/25
❛ Get Out ❜
Contains mild spoilers.
Every single person who has told me about their experience with this film has always told me positive critique about it; I believed them wholeheartedly. After watching Us by Jordan Peele, I was blown away, and despite not being an avid fan of horror, I ended up rating the movie a whopping 5 stars. I felt terrified for days, but at the same time, I was left reflecting on the movie's themes for days afterwards. I expect a similar aftertaste on my psyche for the next few days.
I actually did intend to watch several times in the past. I was either deflected by the mental effort to open the horror movie, or simply decided to move onto "lighter tasks" in all instances. The most recent occurrence was in Lisbon, Portugal. My friend and I figured out the TV system in our AirBnB, and finally opened the movie, only to both nearly fall asleep within the first five minutes. The jet lag was not so welcoming with us, and we ended up both going to bed with the paused film still illuminated on the TV in the living room.
Today, though, I was having a pleasant barbecue with my friends, and finally decided to watch the movie have ten minutes of scrolling through streaming platforms on my friend's TV. We had approximately 2 hours of free time, and I decided then that Get Out seemed the most ideal in our situation, and also that I had enough of deflecting the movie.
First things first, this movie is fire. The actors are brilliant, the plotline was powerful, and the audio and visuals were marvelous. Upon seeing Allison Williams pop up on the screen, I was shocked. I was immediately worried that I would be biased about her character due to the fact that I watched — and loved — her role in A Series of Unfortunate Events. However, let me tell you: Rose Armitage is nothing like Kit Snicket. Kit is a intelligent and noble (pun intended!), and Rose is...unfortunately also intelligent, but also unfortunately a bitch! That is to say, Williams did splendid with her role, and it's insane how amazing her acting range is. If I hadn't been previously spoiled about the plotline, I almost guaranteed would have been fooled by her warm demeanor. Her sudden change to cold and calculating near the end — when she was researching more Black men — then the sudden 180 switch back to warm as a last attempt to live when Chris was straddling her; that was insane. My jaw dropped. Allison Williams I did not know you were chill like that! Same goes for all of the Black victims in the film. The acting was mindblowing flawless on their part. The small eye twitches, eerily mechanical smiles, and Logan's crashout, it was all phenomenal acting. The plot is undoubtedly risky; being heavily relying on hypnosis, which is obviously psychological, it would require actors to portray that inner turmoil and trance state very coherently, without overdoing it. All the actors did great in that aspect, I believe, and they evoked a strong emotion as I watched those scenes with them in it. Moreover, Daniel Kaluuya did great too. From the iconic scene with the single teardrop rolling down his cheeks, to sheer panic on his face at hearing the spoon clash against the teacup in the basement — Kaluuya was extraordinary at encapsulating the awakening of heavily buried past trauma. The Armitage family was also phenomenal at acting out the condescending White fake ass family. The small moments of tension, like the dinner table scene, with Jeremy (the brother) provoking Chris, were executed wonderfully. The small condescending smirk twitches, the pointed comments about deer being adjacent to infested rats and deserving to die, and even the awkward comments about Obama; there was a clear air of superiority from the Armitage family established. Those scenes were conveyed so thoroughly, especially with the brooding music in the background. I must give praise to the entire cast for their sublime subtle acting and microexpressions.
The cinematography was a masterpiece as well. I loved the unique angles, including the shot from within the forest as the couple was driving up to the house. The shaky handheld shots were also wonderful at conveying the turmoil within the characters, and I liked how camera distance was employed to show tension and built up suspense. Though it wasn't too out of the ordinary, I do appreciate these techniques used. Colourgrading was beautiful as well, with darker colours during heavier scenes, and lighter colours during the outside picnic generating an unsettling, fake picturesque atmosphere.
I found the music, as I previously stated, well suited for the scenes in the movie. They weren't too complex or anything, but were crucial in building tension and fear in scenes.
Overall use of colour in set design; a lot of red used in the living room during the first experience with Missy's hypnosis, as well as again in the basement (I would presume the classic unsettling symbol for evil or satanic rituals). My friend also pointed out the omega sign on the door when the couple first arrived at the house. Omega symbolizes 'the end', which suggested a warning to unfamiliar guests. The deer on top of the basement was meaningful as well, connecting back to the father's comment about deer deserving to die. There were probably more symbols that I missed, and that is the beauty of a Peele film (though I am reluctant to watch it again, due to my general distaste for horror).
This film was phenomenal, and it's unfortunate that I'm not the target audience to appreciate it more. Regardless, I love the fact that the horror from this film stemmed from Black history and of systemic oppression and microaggression that Black people have faced on so many countless occasions (and still do continue to encounter). It brings out a whole other level of nuance and connection to history and makes the movie just so much more vivid and 3D. Jordan Peele, I love you for this. Overall, a 4.7/5 from me for this film! I will have trouble sleeping tonight, but it's worth it the experience.
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