Evaluation Essay on Get Out (2017)

Poochus LC

“Get Out,” among the most critically acclaimed films of its year and
directorial debut of actor, writer, and comedian Jordan Peele, follows the
story of Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a young African-American man
who has been dating a white girl, Rose Armitage (Allison Williams). The
plot develops around Chris and the Armitage family whom he is about to
meet for the first time. Chris becomes skeptical about the trip as Rose
reveals that she has not informed her parents that he is Black. Upon
arriving in the family estate, Rose’s mother, Missy (Catherine Keener), and
father, Dean (Bradley Whitford) received them warmly, contrary to what
Chris initially thought. However, not long after their arrival, Chris starts to
get increasingly suspicious about everything in the Armitage estate as the
story starts to unfold.

Among the things that make a movie a standout is its engaging story
paired with convincing casts and of course, its great cinematography and
film technicalities. Most would say that Get Out managed to capture all
three.

The movie opens with a black man – later revealed to be Andre

Hayworth/Logan King (Lakeith Stanfield) – walking in the streets of a
seemingly safe suburban area only to be abducted by a person in a mask.
This foreshadows how the Armitage family who seem totally normal and
genial (safe) at first actually have something up their sleeves. Peele
managed to maintain a sense of mystery and keeps the audience engaged
as he takes time before unraveling the truth to Chris, but constantly builds
up the tension by putting him in uncomfortable situations. This unsettling
atmosphere was heightened as Chris further meets more characters of
unnerving demeanors – from Rose’s brother (Caleb Landry Jones) to the
family housekeeper, Georgina (Betty Gabriel), and groundskeeper, Walter
(Marcus Henderson). Not only does the story talk about racism but also
how casual racism still exists in the real world and is still horrifying even
though it tries hard not to be. And that “The Sunken Place” is a metaphor of
the world system that silences the marginalized no matter how hard they
scream.

The cast were perfectly pitched. They gave an extraordinary

performance which we can tell by seeing their emotions and true intent
even just through their eyes. Daniel Kaluuya’s take on his character who is
naïve and skeptical was exceptional and Allison Williams also gave a
convincing portrayal of Rose Armitage. There was a smooth shift in
Kaluuya’s acting from someone gentle and vulnerable to someone who
have just killed the whole Armitage family, as well as Williams’ sympathetic-
and-soft-turned-evil. One may have not expected Rose to be part of the
ominous business her parents are in. Catherine Keener and Bradley
Whitford worked something sinister into their otherwise warm nature. Both
gave a remarkable performance highlighting their menacing nature behind
a genial appearance. Betty Gabriel and Marcus Henderson were likewise
impressive, both exhibiting a robotic personality which was believable.
Caleb Jones and Lil Rey Howery (who plays Chris’ friend, Rod) also
performed well, the latter lightening the atmosphere through subtle humor
and the former increasing the tension in the story.

The cinematography of the movie was brilliant, perfectly

complementing the flow of the story. The tone and color grade sets the
atmosphere of the film and the camera movements used aided in the
unfolding of the story and tension-building. The use of color was
noteworthy using blue and cooler colors to represent Chris and red and
warmer colors like orange to represent Rose and her family. The sound
design and mixing was clever which strategically enhanced movie
ambience and intensified the tension build-up and few jump scares.
Overall, the screenplay, writing and directing was well thought out
successfully giving the audience both disquieting and hysterical moods.

Get Out is an exceptional psychological thriller, written and directed by

actor and comedian, Jordan Peele, taking inspiration from a real-world
issue, casual racism. It has an impressive plot portrayed by compelling
actors and made richer through the actors’ take on each character which
complements one another. Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams made
Chris’ fragility apparent and Rose’s pretense effective. The other actors
likewise gave an excellent performance. The writing and acting was
supplemented by a wise use of sound design, colors, and camera
movements, improving the overall storytelling of the film.