Get Out is a masterful directorial debut by Jordan Peele. This film is far more than a normal horror film. This is a film that captivates audiences everywhere and has taken society by storm. On the surface this film seems to be about a man named Chris, played by actor Daniel Kaluuya, and a woman named Rose, played by actress Allison Williams. This couple has reached the stage of their relationship where Rose plans a trip to visit her parents and introduce them to her boyfriend Chris. There is an underlying nervous tension surrounding the fact that their relationship is interracial, but as the movie carries on the true feelings of Rose's family is revealed. Throughout the movie, Peele artfully placed certain symbols inside scenes to refreshingly discuss race relations in America.
Here are 10 hidden messages that will make you want to take a trip back to the theater.
1. The Silver Spoon
The silver spoon is a popular item we see Rose's mother use to hypnotize Chris. We recognize the silver spoon as representing the privilege that is passed down from generations. Rose's parents are protected by their privilege; being their whiteness and wealth. The psychotic acts being conducted by their family is hidden by this affluence.
2. Cotton
When Chris is tied up in the basement and being hypnotized, he has the idea to take the cotton out of the chair and put it in his ears to halt the hypnosis. Peele uses this scene as irony to show this as being the only time that a black male has used cotton to escape from a life-threatening act.
3. Rose's cereal
At the end of the movie, we see Rose eating her fruit loops one by one separate from her milk. This scene is perceived two different ways. Many viewers depict this scene as showing the separation of "the colors from the white." Jordan Peele discussed this in an interview with Vanity Fair, “That’s one of my favorite scenes,” he said. “I came up with it a couple days before we shot it, just feverishly trying to figure out what is the most fucking psychotic snack she could be eating, and what is the most psychotic way she could be doing it. And so, yeah, we had this idea that she’s like total O.C.D., stunted growth, and just one of these people that eats her old childhood snacks in exactly the way she used to do it.”
4. Late night runs
In a chilling scene, Chris goes out at night to have a cigarette when to his surprise, Walter runs past Chris with no acknowledgment of Chris's presence. Later we find out that Walter is the host body to Rose's grandfather who lost to Jesse Owens in the Olympics. The grandfather never got over this loss. This loss is deemed to be the reason why the family has started the business of kidnapping and manipulating genes from black men and women.
5. The Deer
Chris and Rose hit a deer on the way to visit her parents. Later on, we see Chris return to check on the status of the deer and he never seems to get over that. This is connected to the fact that Chris's mom died in a hit and run accident. Also, when Chris and Rose make it to Rose's family's home, the father praising the death of the deer saying that "every death is a win to mankind" is a subtle racist message. We later learn that the father was possibly referring to black men and women with this statement. We see taxidermied deer on the walls connecting that to the way Rose's family hunted Chris and treated him as an objectified trophy.
6. The Light
Whenever there is a camera flash, Chris encounters beyond strange behavior by Walter, Andre and Georgina. Chris is a photographer and he is the one who acknowledges the behavior behind the camera flash. The camera flash represents "seeing the light" and temporarily waking up from their hypnosis and realizing their original identities.
7. The Sunken Place
The sunken place is the dark space that Rose's mother hypnotizes Chris into. This represents a greater narrative of African Americans being controlled by white Americans from times of slavery. Chris shows himself as being terrified and ultimately powerless to Rose's mother which directly connects to the history of black America. Also, it is connected to modern day and how some are unable to escape racism in the workplace.
8. Sports
Rose's brother constantly brings up sports in conversation with Chris and is surprised when he is not interested. Ultimately, Chris ends up killing her brother by subduing him with a metal ball, mirroring how society makes it seem that the only way for a black male to escape his situation is through sports.
9. Cops
At the end of the movie, Chris defends himself by murdering the entire family and ultimately the cops arrive at the scene. Even after the hell-like ordeal that Chris encounters, he still puts his hands up when the cops arrive; like he expects himself to be seen as the criminal. This mirrors the current distrust between society and the police department.
10. American Flag
With the way Rose and Chris are pictured together throughout a majority of the scenes through their outfits create an image of a distorted American flag. The colors are dulled out and dim because the movie is showing the dark side of America that has motivated the political satire behind the intelligence of this film.
