Get Out (2017) - The Abyss Of Hopelessness
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Blumhouse made a smart decision here. In one of the most talked-about films of 2017, director Jordan Peele was given the freedom to flesh out his characters, and build a world as he saw fit.
The plot involves a young black man, Chris, travelling with his white girlfriend, Rose, to visit her parents for the weekend. And what unfolds during his visit is an unparalleled awkwardness followed by some unexpected horrors. Race plays a pivotal role in this story - but its complex metaphor for marginalisation isn't the eeriest part.
When Chris meets Rose's parents, there's a moment of relief. The welcoming embrace and tension-cutting exchange shows a warm family's acceptance of their new guest. But this all happens from a distance. Peele creates a deceiving contrast between this loving imagery with a sinister-sounding harp that lingers ominously in the background. In fact, almost every scene achieves a juxtaposition that makes us unwilling subjects - just like Chris.
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We're voyeurs with no power, in a world that thrives on dangling us from the edge. Every step closer is steeper, and the narrative's intricate parable reveals the true darkness behind social exclusion - the helplessness. The climax of this darkness comes at a moment when Chris is being hypnotised to stop smoking by his potential mother-in-law, only to end up in a catatonic state. The symbolism is powerful as we witness Chris falling through an endless void; untethered from the world around him.
The emptiness is unsettling, but the purpose is not lost on the audience, and there's little time for melancholy - this is a horror/thriller after all. The purpose is knowing how to get out when you can't discern the borders. How hard do you swim in the shadows before you reach the surface? And how do you avoid that foot at the edge trying to kick you back down?
Daniel Kaluuya, who plays Chris, wows us by exposing the character's vulnerabilities and the fighter in him. Uphill battles are scary enough without being tied to a chair in a trophy room, but this is a film that intensifies the further you let yourself go into that sunken place.
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