Get Out

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Admittedly, it seems a bit odd to be getting a horror film written and directed by comedian Jordan Peele, from Key & Peele fame. But, don’t worry, this isn’t really a horror movie. Or, rather, this isn’t a standard, “Halloween”-type, slasher film. Instead, it’s more of what I might call social-horror; a razor sharp social commentary disguised as horror. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things to make you jump and squirm and wince a bit. But that is not what is really going on here. What should really make movie-goers wince is how deeply Peele cuts into the bone of American liberalism. This is really a film about racism, but not the racism of Trump’s American, in all of its blatant, ugly glory. This is a film about the racism of Obama’s America, hidden just below the surface of liberal white paternalism. It is not about people who overtly hate people of color but, rather, people who fetishize them. This is fairly dark material and, despite its humor, the film is pretty dark. What makes it work is the largely strong performances. In particular, British actor Daniel Kaluuya (“Sicario,” “Black Mirror”) is fantastic as the lead, playing shy, incredulous, jaded and terrified with equal ease. Betty Gabriel was the other scene stealer as the clearly not-quite-right maid. They were both great fun to watch and, in fact, this whole film was great fun. It was also all the things you would expect from a decent thriller and managed to keep you on the edge of your seat most of time, even if you were also laughing.