Movie "get out"

Student Name Professor Name Course Date Analyzing Jordan Peele’s Use of Horror Techniques in “Get Out” to Illuminate Themes of Racism and Societal Hypocrisy Frighteningly, Jordan Peele highlights the human condition in his film Get Out in an unsettling way and in a profound way as well. An unaccompanied young black male, Andre, walks in the dark in an affluent white suburb. The camera’s perspective is framed with tense angles and the creepy silence, which is the all-too-familiar fear relatable to people of color when they are made to feel like outsiders in such spaces (Jarvis 98). Seconds later, the brutal kidnapping of Andre has wholly erased any illusion of security, and this is when Peele has achieved his groundbreaking cinematic work. With the horror genre being significantly redefined, Get Out masterfully combines these elements to create suspense, satire, and searing social commentary, being hailed as one of the must-see movies of the year. Through Peele's unconventional and pointed strategy in examining the hidden nature of racism and the hypocrisy that is prevalent in modern society, he has created a platform for open conversations; he has gained many awards from critics (Jarvis 100). This essay will examine the multiple ways in which Jordan Peele uses advanced horror methods in Get Out to reveal the leading themes of racism and the discrepancy in society. Through analyzing the film’s subversion of the familiar tropes, its cutting social commentary, and its visceral exploration of the fears and marginalization of racial groups, a more profound understanding of Peele’s unique artistic vision is noticed (Jarvis 104). Moreover, the paper will be structured in a way so as to compare this movie with other well-known socially conscious horror films, which will position Get Out within the context of a long tradition of employing the genre as a tool for social provocation and cultural critique. The movie Get Out has a black protagonist who plays the lead role in it. It also has a scathing satire that shows the hidden nature of liberal racism and demands the audience to face the horrors, but they are not in the shadowy corners and are in the deepest corners of the human psyche (Jarvis 105). Through his way of creative use of suspense, symbolism, and his scathing social criticism, Peele has created a masterpiece that redefines horror filmmaking and invites viewers to be witnesses to the perpetuity of racial injustice and the danger that comes from the unawareness that makes it possible. Intersection of Horror and Racial Dynamics Among the most terrifying and unsettling things about Get Out is how the movie explores the connection between horror and racial matters. Jordan Peele has a genius grasp of the art of horror, which he uses to penetrate the innermost fears and concerns that minority groups, especially the black community, experience in their daily engagement with mainstream society (Jeffries 140). The film’s ability to evoke a sense of apprehension and dread is a powerful visual depiction of the constant state of alertness and hyper-awareness that many ethnic people experience in a country that is plagued by systemic racism and microaggressions. Right from the start, Get Out is designed to create a sense of tension by portraying the feeling of uneasiness that Chris, as a black man, experiences when he enters a new and primarily white environment that is foreign to him. The amplification of this uneasiness is furthered by the skillful exploitation of horror conventions, which in turn mirrors the everyday experiences of systemic oppression and indignity that people of color are subjected to on a daily basis (Jeffries 142). The horror that Chris is facing is not in any way a supernatural or fantastical result; instead, it is a physical representation of the true horrors of racism and discrimination. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: A white man’s consciousness invasively existing in the body of a black man. Source: (Bkereste) The racialized features of experiencing horror in the film are also interrogated via the film's subversion of the traditional genre symbols. Through siding with Chris as the protagonist and portraying the Armitage family as the primary antagonists, Get Out boldly confronts the dangerous stigmatization of black males as being inherently threatening and evil (Jeffries 145). Chris’s story– his inability to decide his actions and his being preyed upon by underhanded forces that are greater than him is a powerful metaphor for the systemic inequalities and societal pressures that place limits on the lived realities of people of color. The most evocative and multifaceted symbol of this crossroads between terror and racial dynamics is the Sunken Place. In this alternate reality, the victims of the Armitage family are forced to stay, their consciousness suppressed, and their identities snatched away. This chilling idea is a symbolic narration of the self and identity loss that are possible when marginalized communities are exposed to the relentless pressures of systemic oppression and societal prejudices (Bkereste para 6). The claustrophobic and disorienting nature of the Sunken Place reflects the profound sense of being disconnected, oppressed, and disempowered that so often comes with racism, causing one to lose control and the ability to make decisions on their own. Peele expertly capitalizes on the film techniques that serve to accentuate the horrendousness of the racialized incidents. The clever use of unsettling angles and perspectives cleverly portrays a feeling of powerlessness and vulnerability. Therefore, the audience is invited to walk in Chris’s disorienting journey (Bkereste para 8). The lighting and sound design of the film build up an intense atmosphere that constantly makes individuals feel uneasy about the fears of racial injustice. So, the reality of living in a world where the specter of racial discrimination looms all the time is reflected. Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 2: Get Out is a horror film about benevolent racism Source: (Wilkinson). Subversion of Traditional Horror Tropes One of the most remarkable features of “Get Out” is its mastery of traditional horror themes; in contrast, the movie seems to be turning the genre on its head to show the insidious and deeply rooted nature of racism in modern society. As Jordan Peele sets out to contradict the standard horror narrative, he accomplishes one of his goals by first seducing the audience with a false sense of security, which he later replaces with the disturbing reality that is hidden underneath (Wilkinson para 4). The film’s portrayal of a peaceful suburban area with a prosperous white family as its occupants is a clever allegory for the thin shell of civility and acceptance that sometimes camouflages the hidden bigotry and bias. Peele’s subversions are expressed in different ways, beginning with the role reversal, which places a black character in the lead role, Chris, who is the main character who is caught navigating through a world of white villains. This flip-over immediately defies the audience’s assumptions, as the horror genre has always been a vehicle for the perpetuation of harmful stereotypes by casting people of color, mainly black men, as terrifying threats (Jeffries 149). Through Chris’s viewpoint, “Get Out” makes him human and encourages the audience to feel his plight, which is a way of dismantling racial prejudices and a tool for building a more tolerant society. Besides that, Peele also plays with the “final girl” trope, a standard slasher subgenre in which the single female survivor ultimately beats the killer. In “Get Out,” Chris’ character has the assumed role of the hero, thus defying gender norms as well as the stereotype of the damsel in distress (Jeffries 141). His resourcefulness, determination, and the eventual triumph over the sinister scheme of the Armitage family to stereotype him as a black man with a violent character serve as a powerful rebuttal to the persistent demeaning of black masculinity as naturally dangerous or abnormal. Possibly, the most prominent thing that Peele does is to turn the very aim of horror movies in its head. In contrast to the use of fear for the sake of making people scared or to be amused, “Get Out” uses horror as a tool to expose the reality of the widespread racism in the present society (Landsberg 630). The absolute terror is not in the screaming and the gore but in the covert ways that racial bias subtly emerges, even in the circles that are otherwise considered progressive and enlightened. The more profound notion behind these subversions is so deep. Peele’s horror narrative flipping, the script of the conventional horror narrative, shows how the insidious and systematic nature of racism is still present in contemporary society. The suburban home of the Armitage family, with its idyllic and perfect facade, is an apt example of the dark and sinister side of the family where blackness is appropriated, commodified, and fetishized (Landsberg 636). These subversions reveal the thin mask of civility that oft...