Introduction
Get Out, directed by American film director Jordan Peele, is a phenomenon at the American box office. For the first three days of distribution, the film managed to collect six times the shooting budget. The reason for this success lies primarily in the relevance of the problems that affect the movie.
Racism and Psychological Horror as Central Themes
Get Out perfectly explains the concept of racism to people who are entirely unaware of the meaning of this phenomenon. The most striking aspect of the movie is not the nightmares, not the horrors, not the villains, but a lingering sense of fear that lingers in the soul long after viewing. In other words, the things that people of color face every day in America are presented in such a way that people who have never been in their shoes cannot help but react to them. However, not everything in the film is unambiguous; despite the central idea of appropriating black culture, some moments seem to defy comprehension by contradicting prior events. In particular, the plot twist about transplanting white people’s brains into black bodies raises misunderstandings about black people’s values and ongoing racism.
Defining Main Message
The careful play with a harrowing topic for Americans made Get Out such a hit. Indeed, racism in the U.S. has not gone anywhere; with the help of the doctrine of political correctness, it can be contained, covered with masks of politeness and courtesy, but not destroyed. Rich whites will be suspicious of blacks, and blacks will think to themselves: It is uncomfortable when many whites are around.
However, one can highlight a moment that creates some contradiction with the main idea of the movie. The movie has a plot twist involving the brain transplantation of rich white people into the bodies of young and healthy black people. With this twist comes the question: if black bodies are valuable to rich white people, why do they still face racism and social problems?
Interestingly, old white men are picking up specifically young, healthy black guys as body donors. It may be sarcastic and display the idea that every white person dreams of becoming black, but with their white identity. At the same time, it can be an attempt to understand the cause of racism – the thesis that white guys are jealous of black guys. For example, blacks are often perceived as tougher, more physically developed, and generally gifted. Thus, they fulfill the role of the body, the perfect shell for the white man’s consciousness.
However, what the author’s true intention is remains unclear. The idea of transplantation does not fit into the overall picture of the movie, misleading the audience as to whether black people are really valuable in the eyes of whites or whether it is just another scene of pretense.
Conclusion
This issue emphasizes the complexity of racism and cultural appropriation. While the film focuses on the horrors and absurdity of such behavior, it also provides an opportunity to reflect on the deeper roots of the problem. One can view the controversy as a critique of the existing system and the inextricably linked prejudicial beliefs that do not disappear even in the body of another race.
Analyzing this issue helps the audience reach the film’s heart, namely that the struggle against racism and cultural appropriation is not resolved by simply exchanging bodies. Instead, the problems associated with racism go deeper and require societal change and awareness. Get Out reflects on the importance of exploring and understanding the roots of these issues to move toward equality and justice.
References
Peele, J. (2017). Get Out. Universal Pictures.