Ever since the trailer of "Get Out" was released some months ago, anticipation for the movie has been sky high. The utter creepiness, yet uniqueness of what the trailer was promising captured the attention of just about everyone. The movie was released on February 24th, 2017, just in time to join in on the Black History Month festivities. The reception of the movie has been amazing, sitting at an uncanny 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, an aggregate movie review site. Add in the fantastic numbers it has been doing at the box office and you can definitely say the movie has lived up to the hype.
The movie focuses on an interracial couple facing the classic "meeting the parents" scenario, but with an interesting twist that hones in on the elephant that has never left the room in America-- racism.
The movie's protagonist is Chris Washington, a young, black dude who seems to be enjoying life with his girlfriend, Rose. Their relationship seems to be picking up steam, so it's about that time every guy hates-- to meet the girl's parents.
From the first few scenes in this movie, it gets everything right.
The dialogue shared between Rose and Chris sheds so much light on the constant paranoia that you face living the black experience in America. In the first few minutes, Rose is trying to reassure Chris that everything will go just fine when they meet her parents and that he has nothing to worry about.
Of course, Chris is nervous, as any man would be, but the added fact that Rose tells him that he is the first black dude meeting her family causes the nerves to be multiplied 10 times over.
You see, this little tidbit right here speaks volumes.
There is always that feeling of awkwardness when meeting new people, much less with the added pressure of making a good impression with those strangers. The debacle that we, as black people, face, is the worry that we will be judged on the fact that we are black.
Yes, I can imagine the eye rolls as you read that last sentence.
"Here comes another black guy, whining about racism."
Well, keep rolling your eyes, because this is an experience no one other than a black individual can understand.
You see, as a black person, there is a constant tug-of-war on how not to fit into stereotypes, because although "urban" culture is mainly determined by what is cool and current with young, black folk (don't debate this), the very things that people deem as "cool" when they are imitated, are frowned upon when an actual black person is doing so.
The examples are everywhere. The Kardashians alone could be examples A-Z. They braid and cornrow their hair and all of a sudden, tabloids describe their hair as "trendy." They put colors in their hair and they are praised for doing so. Black girls who put color in their hair are called "ratchet" and "ghetto." I can go on and on with the double standards, but the fact of the matter is that while society has progressed in many great ways, these double standards facing the perception of black people are unfair and what stem the fear and unsettled feeling that Chris experiences in this film, and what all of us feel in our everyday lives.
As the movie progresses, subtle drops of genius are dropped along the way. The father constantly saying "my man" to Chris whenever speaking to him, the cop asking him unnecessary questions when Rose hits a deer while driving, and other small jabs from family friends. I don't want to spoil the movie, so I won't go too much into detail.
The reality is that this film sheds light on the psychology of being black in America. A wise friend once told me "everybody wants to be black until it's time to be black." The idea and the prospects of what it means to be black are what have historically shaped the culture in America, from the music straight all the way down to colloquialisms. The double standards that are held in society are what fuel race relations in this country and ultimately are a huge part of the psychology of what it means to live the black experience. This is what makes the events of "Get Out" so terrifying. While this may be a movie, and the events are unlikely, the fact of the matter is that the ideas the movie are representing speak volumes about the racial schism that is and always has been apparent in our society.
"Get Out" is an incredible movie. Hats off to Jordan Peele and all others involved in the creation of this film. Truly one for the ages, and a 10/10 in my book. If you haven't seen it yet, do yourself a favor and watch it. You won't regret it.
