Because I am Obsessed with “Get Out”
This post is long overdue because I first saw Jordan Peele’s new film Get Out over a month ago. Yes, I said “first” because I did something I usually don’t: I went to the theater again to see a movie. TWICE in one month. That is how obsessed I am with this. It is about a Black dude named Chris, who goes to meet the parents of his white girlfriend (Rose) at their suburban home. What was supposed to be a simple “Meet the Parents” turns much darker as the weekend goes on. The only Black people around are corny and creepy AF, and the parents seem overly friendly. Their friends aren’t much better. Chris is in for the time he never expected.
By now, you might have seen it. If so, you’ve probably perused the whole internet and read 50-eleven thinkpieces on it. I’m not promising you that mine will be any different. But I had to throw my hat in the ring because we gotta discuss it. The 2nd time I went to see it, I took a notepad with me, and ended up taking 12 pages of notes, so I’m writing this from those 12 pages.
Let’s start by saying how much I LOVEDDD everything about the movie. Everything about it. And I do NOT do horror movies. If you wanna ensure I have an awful time, force me to see a horror film. The way my punkassness is set up, I do not do scary films. But Get Out is not a horror, in the Poltergeist or Children of the Corn way. It is a horror in that what it depicts is the horrific nature of white supremacy in America. I’ve had to talk a bunch of people off the “I can’t see it because I don’t like horror movie” ledges by letting them know that I too am a scaredy cat, and this is not that.
This film made me look at Jordan Peele completely different. This ain’t just Peele from Key & Peele. This is a genius who wrote, directed and produced one of the best films of the last 10 years. This is the moneymaker who spent $5 million to create a piece of art that has now made over $150 million. This is a Black man who shows that Black people can create film that will be consumed by the masses. Peele has reached next levels, and it’s because he created gold.
I’m obsessed with Get Out, because there was no line of dialogue wasted, no musical lyric coincidental, and every single thing is intentional. That doggone movie is deeper than the Pacific. Deeper than rap. Deeper than the well of Cheeto Satan’s ignorance.
Now, let’s talk about the things I peeped in there.
If you are reading past this point, I ASSUME that you’ve seen the movie. SPOILER ALERTS ALL OVER. Leave now if you haven’t or don’t care to have everything revealed to you.
Andre’s snatching
In the beginning of the movie, when Andre was walking in the dark and trying to get directions, he referred to whoever he was talking to as “Baby.” I assume it was a woman. Right then, a white car starts following him. Come to find out, that was Rose’s brother, Jeremy who snatched him. Which means, he was probably talking to Rose on that phone. To support this theory, later on we find out that Andre has been missing for 6 months. And Rose and Chris have been dating for 5. THE MATHS SUPPORT IT that Rose was the conduit there.
Rose wasn’t shit from the get go and we shoulda realized it. Especially when she was insisting that her parents aren’t racist, after withholding the info that her boyfriend was Black. GIRL if they weren’t racist, you wouldn’t bury that lede.
This scene also gave me Trayvon Martin vibes. An innocent Black man walking in a neighborhood that he isn’t thought to fit in, when a white man accosts him for no reason.
The clean side
So when Rose and Chris are on the way to her parent’s house, and her lack of concentration makes them hit the deer, they get out the car and the ONLY side of the car that shows any signs of the hit was Chris’s side. His side was covered in deer blood and hers was clean AF. There was almost a line of demarcation between how his side was grimy and hers was untouched. I thought it spoke to the fact that even when white people are at fault, they get away scot free and we bear the brunt.
The deer
The deer was present throughout the film, starting with Rose hitting the one that was crossing the road, sending it to its death. Deer are also known as “bucks.” A buck is a term used to sometimes represent Black men, and that deer being killed by her, is foreshadowing the fact that he’s in danger. And he’s going to meet his end.
Meanwhile, he felt drawn to the deer in a visceral way, and had a hard time seeing it laying on the road, slowly dying.
This was a moment for him that took him back to the fact that his mother died similarly, alone on the side of the road. But make no mistakes, that deer was really representing Black men.
Anywho, we come full circle with the deer, when the taxidermy one in the basement is used to kill Dr. Armitage. Just when you think you’ve got us, we rise back up and shank you.
The ID fiasco
When the cop wanted to see Chris’ ID, and Rose barked him down off it, it wasn’t to protect her man, but to make sure there was no paper trail connecting her to the man she’s about to send to his end. But her tone could have easily escalated the situation with the police officer. This is how “well meaning” white people will sometimes get Black folks in trouble.
The Omega signs
When they arrive at the Armitage’s house and walk unto their porch, the surrounding shrubbery has Omega signs on it. Omega is “the end.” I notice that in old family pictures or in the video of Grandpa Armitage talking about the Coagula Experiment that he’s creating, these omega signs were not in the shrubbery. I guess they were added once Black people walk in but never walk out the same again, as they’ve met their end in the Sunken Place.
Dr. Armitage’s words
As Rose’s daddy (Dean) gives Chris a tour of the house, he drops more than a couple of clues that he’s batshit crazy, and that he is there to steal his soul.
“Such privilege to experience someone else’s culture.”
“My mother loved the kitchen, so we keep a piece of her in here.” *camera pans to Georgina standing by the kitchen island*
“We hired Walter and Georgina to care for our parents. When they died, I couldn’t bear to let them go.”
Remember that reference he made to the basement being locked because of “Black mold.” Who’da thunk he meant it literally? That basement is where they go to mold the minds of white folks into Black people’s bodies.
And of course, his whole rant on how he hates deer. “I see a dead deer on the side of the road and say ‘That’s a start.'” He’s talking about his hate for Black people. That summabitch.
But most of all, is how he told Chris about his father, who almost made the US Olympics team, but lost to Jesse Owens. He mentions how he “almost got over it.” Sore losing ass white people. The whole Sunken Place thing began because of bad sportsmanship. And the sense of entitlement that comes with white supremacy. Hot ass mess.
Dinner table weirdness
Jeremy, Rose’s brother is a creep. At the dinner table, when he’s asking Chris if he’s an MMA fan, I think it was because he was wondering if his body would be good to take over for that purpose. He even said “With your frame and genetic makeup, you’d be a fucking beast.”
Appeasing white guilt
After the shenanigans of day 1, Rose apologizes to Chris for not seeing her family’s prejudices before, and for not taking him serious when he side-eyed her for not telling them that he’s Black. She owed him every piece of that apology, and instead of accepting it, Chris tells her the apology isn’t necessary. And he tells her not to worry about it. This is how Black people still go out of our way sometimes to make white people feel better about wronging us. We’re so quick to forgive, and we’re too busy trying to appease their guilt that we don’t give ourselves enough time to process the trauma they put us through. There’s also that bit of Black man-white girl worship. They can do no wrong. I’ma leave that right there too. Pick it up if you want.
Walter’s run and Georgina’s primping
First of all, Chris shouldn’t have woken his ass up and wander off in that house in the middle of the night. That dude specializes in hustling backwards, clearly. When he goes to the backyard, and Walter races past him weird AF, we know what that is owed to now. Grandpa is making use of the speed and agility he didn’t have before. Like leaving a kid who has been kept away from candy in FAO Schweetz. He’ll OD on it.
Chris looks up and into the window and sees Georgina there staring absentmindedly. Some think she was fixing her wig of the scars from the surgery. But no, there’s a shot where she’s just caressing her face and wig. That was Grandma marveling at her fresh melanin and hair. She was checking herself out, contentedly, digging the new skin she was in.
The Sunken Place
There’s so much to say about the Sunken Place. The fact that a silver spoon is a trigger is a clear indication of white privilege being at the core of this all. In this scene, Chris had on a gray hoodie. Again, gave me Trayvon Martin vibes.
Missy Armitage starts asking Chris about television. He was stuck watching TV the night that his mother died, and he did nothing. I think it speaks to the idea that TV can paralyze our thought processes and the actions we take. The media has been a tool of propaganda and subjugation of Black people, and in this case, it was what kept Chris from going out to look for his mother.
Now, Chris ended up in the Sunken Place after being hypnotized into paralysis.
He falls into a dark, bottomless abyss where he hears what’s going on around him but cannot respond or act on it. He’s a shell of himself and he is trapped there, without ability to get out. We all agree that it is a giant symbol for what racism has done to Black people in the United States. The systemic oppression of Black folks has placed invisible chains on people where they cannot just dig their way out. We can’t dress, dance, talk our way out of it because it is bigger than all of us. And it is deep and all encompassing.
Black cars
The next day, as the party is about to start, all the guests arrive in black cars. It looked like a funeral procession. Most of the cars were Lincolns, which is a twist. Cuz Abaraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation but there wasn’t about to be freedom for Chris.
The color red – At the weirdest party ever, everyone has on something red. A sweater, a tie, a shirt, a pocket square. Something. Why red? I think because it’s a color that is used to warn people. STOP, EXIT etc. Chris should have stopped and walked the hell out.
The sizing up
The party starts and the guests happen to be old ass rich ass white people. And then as Rose takes Chris around, they size him up and check him out like you do a piece of fruit you wanna bring home. One of them asked him if he can golf. A woman asks him if “Is it true? Is it really better?” in terms of his sex game. One dude tells him “Black is in fashion.” He was on the auction block and he didn’t even know it. All those people looked at him, envied him and wanted everything he had. Style, size, swag. The “well-meaning” compliments mirror the things Black filks have to deal with everyday. Many of us nodded through the scene, used to the microaggressions thrown at us daily by white people.
The Japanese Dude
Everybody at the party had on something red, except for one guest: Hiroki Tanaka. He was Japanese, and clearly migrated to the United States because he had a strong accent.
Why was he specifically Japanese? Probably because Americans fetishize Japanese culture (see: geishas). But he stood out in this way to also show that he still didn’t quite belong in this group, try as he may. And he specifically asked Chris “Do you find that being African American is more of an advantage or disadvantage in modern life?” That was him doing research on whether it was worth switching bodies with Chris. Is his Asianness still putting him in a better position than Chris’s Blackness? There’s an incredible piece by Ranier Maningding that delves deep into this. Read: Why ‘Get Out’, a Movie About Anti-Black Racism, Had an Asian Character.
Logan
Now, Logan. He blew the thing open. He was the real catalyst for Chris realizing he gotta get the hell out that place. Yes, the microaggressions were weird but shit happens. It was when he finally saw a Black person that wasn’t the help and even that Black person wasn’t shit that he was like “nah.” Logan was at the party as a partner of a white woman who was 30 years his senior. Chris was perplexed when he missed all cues of Blackness, including the ever so important dap. HOW YOU NOT GON KNOW HOW TO DAP SOMEBODY?
And then all types of noir swag was gone, so when Chris tried to take a secret picture of the corny Black dude at the party and his camera flash went off, Logan snapped out of the Sunken Place for an instant. His yells of “GET OUT” were warning words to Chris. That was Andre, tryna tell bruh to get his Dereon duffle and split. He literally “saw the light” and got woke, albeit temporarily, because Missy had to re-introduce him to the Sunken Place. Poor guy.
The unplugged phone
Twice, when Chris went back to his room, he found his phone unplugged. Who unplugged it? Georgina. Well, Grandma. Why? So he wouldn’t have access to the outside world, like his friend Rod.
Chris and Rose’s outfits
Chris had on a chambray shirt. The only person in a light color and the only person wearing blue at that party. Rose was in a red and gray striped long sleeve shirt. There are a couple of times where they’re sitting really close together, and their alphets look like the United States flag.
There’s a particular shot where it hit me, and it was when they were both sitting on the bench by the lake, as he tells her he is ready to get the hell out. The camera pans to their backs, as the sun sets, and they look like a flag in the wind.
The bingo auction
The silent auction that happens, headed by Dr. Armitage is a literal representation of slave auctions that would happen. All these rich white people bidding to get the Black man. And interestingly enough, Hiroko ended up bidding on Chris. Apparently, whatever part of Chris he wanted trumped his Asianness. He figured it was worth the body switch.
Jim Hudson (the blind guy)
The blind man (Jim Hudson) was interesting because when he met Chris, he commented about how ridiculous the other white people are. You thought he was cool, and then he said wished he had Chris’ eyes. His eye for art and photography. So when he wins the auction, we know he meant it literally. It spoke to cultural appropriation. They see what we have/do/create, and they want it. They will take it with or (often) without our permission and we are left choiceless in the matter.
As he talks to a strapped down Chris before he prepares for surgery, he also mentions that he doesn’t really care what color Chris is. He just wanted his talent. He is the embodiment of white people who claim to be “color blind.” Jim literally didn’t SEE color but he saw color. He just used it to make himself better about what he was participating in.
The cupboard
The small cupboard in Rose’s room kept being left open (first in the middle of that night where Chris got sunk) and then after the party when him and Rose decide to leave. Who did it? Georgina in her flashes of clarity. Not Grandma. No one else makes sense.
The pictures
In that cupboard was a red box (another warning sign) with pictures of Rose and a bunch of her past partners. 7 pictures, with 7 different men in it. One of those men? Walter, the gardener. And the 8th picture was Rose with Georgina. PLOT TWIST. Our girl swings all ways, I guess. Anything to co-opt these Black lives and Columbus them. Chris still didn’t fully get it at this point, but I think his spidey senses were going clean off.
The shackles and cotton
Chris is bound to a chair in the basement with leather straps that look like shackles. He’s looking at the deer that’s mounted on the wall, victimized pointlessly by the owner of that house, and used as a trophy. Across from him is a television that plays a UNCF commercial that says “a mind is a terrible thing to waste.” Literally.
And the TV is used to send Chris to the sunken place, making him scratch the arm of the chair he’s sitting in until the cotton in it comes out. That same cotton ends up saving him from the Sunken Place because he plugs his ears with it. That way, when the spoon hit the teacup, he didn’t hear it. It’s about time one of us got saved by picking cotton.
The froot loops and milk
Rose was eating froot loops (colored) one by one, but she had a glass of milk next to it that she never poured into the cereal. She was keeping them separate. She even sipped the milk through a black straw.
Rose
Rose is the Matron Saint of Darth Beckys (props to VSB). She basically lures this man to his demise, because she is given the grace of innocence even in the face of evidence that shows how conniving she’s being.
Chris still apologized to her to make her feel better as her family treats him like THE ONLY BLACK they’ve ever met. He still worships at her feet, even as she gaslights him and reduces his concerns. He still trusts her (with the car keys) even after he sees pictures of her and past partners (2 of whom are now servants for her parents). Rose, in her doe-eyed ingloriousness still played the role of blissfully ignorant til she herself removes the veil and says she won’t give him the keys. And then after she fed her bae to the dogs, she looks pleased with herself as she Googles her next victim, who will be an NCAA prospect.
This movie basically told us not to trust white women, the Darth Beckys who wear and weaponize their whiteness, and never get to suffer consequences. We see the Dr. Armitages of the world coming, because we already know white men are dangerous. We already know they can’t be trusted. But it’s the white women, who have been history’s shit starters, who we need to look out for. They’re the Miss Annes who got slaves sold by falsely accusing them of looking at them inappropriately. They’re the Suffragettes who only fought for the rights of white women to vote. They’re the 53% who voted for Trump even as he denigrates people who look just like them. This movie puts them on blast, and Rose is their queen.
Georgina
We must talk about Georgina. She was the only character in this film who seemed to fight the Sunken Place even without the trigger of a flash. She tried to stay woke from the depth of the darkness, and she gave a valiant fight. When the Armitages and Chris sit on their back deck, Georgina comes to pour them all iced tea but at one point, she zones out and spills tea around Chris’ glass. Many pieces have wrongly identified the catalyst for Georgina zoning out to Missy Armitage tapping the silver spoon to her glass. But nah. That didn’t happen. Georgina zoned out on her own, which is definitely something you only realize in hindsight. It was the first sign of the fact that she had some fight in her.
Her constant fight against Grandma, who had taken over her was interesting. For example, the part where she went into Chris’ room and started saying “no no no no no.”
I think that was Georgina trying to come through and Grandma pushing her back down into the Sunken Place.
The cupboards ending up open had to be Georgina. She was tryna clue in ol’ boy to what’s really happening. She was trying to save him. I think Georgina is the epitome of Black women who fight like hell, even when we are in the throes of despair. Black women have BEEN fighting and will continue to fight in ways people will never understand, and with super human strength.
It’s also interesting that Georgina is the only sister in the Get Out scheme. Rose has gotten 7 Black men, but only 1 Black woman. Could it be that we are more careful not to be lured by the sirens of white womanhood? Could it be that we’re a harder target for trickery because of our moral fortitude? Could it be that we just have more people who will tell us “YOU BETTER SIT YOUR ASS DOWN AND DON’T GO WITH THAT WHITE GIRL?” Possibly. Georgina became the most interesting character for me, after Rod.
Rod
Rod deserves his own breakdown here, as the most down ass brother ever. He is the reason I was able to walk out the movie with good feels. He was the Black savior. The ride or die. The only one who knew what was happening before it happened. The one who warned Chris. The one who looked for him. The one who came for him. Rod is the ultimate friend, and he is Black brotherhood at its best.
Rod was everyone in the audience, who was wondering why Chris thought it’d be a good idea to spend the weekend at his white girlfriend’s parents’ house, ESPECIALLY after she told him they didn’t know he was Black. I woulda sent the address of where I’d be before I went anywhere and wrote a FB post so people would know my whereabouts. I’ont TRUSS it, and he didn’t either.
Again, Rod was the symbol of Black people who look out for you in spite of yourself. He was Chris’ village, and the only reason he didn’t end up dead or in jail (had real cops showed up). T-S-muthafucking-A to the rescue! Everybody needs a Rod. He’s bestie goals.
Contrary to Rod were the Black cops he went to, to report that Chris is missing. They laughed in his face, representing the skinfolks who aren’t woke. The ones who lambast those who report incidents of racism and injustice. He realized he had to save his friend without them, and embarked on that adventure. We’ll get free with or without the people in the Sunken Place.
WHEW. This post is hella long, but I didn’t know what to leave out in my 15 pages of notes. Oddly enough, I left some things out just so I could be done. But there are more layers in this film than there are locs on Lil Wayne’s head.
Several times as I typed “Chris” during this post, I typed a T at the end and had to backtrack. Then I was like “Wayment.” Was there Christ imagery in this? Was he meant to be the one who was crucified but rose up to show that he is greater than they assumed? Maybe now I’m just doing the most. BUT I’LL TAKE THE RISK. Whatevs. This film has me analyzing my own analysis. TEW MUCH. Lemme go to sleep now.
P.S. This movie has spurred some great art. My fave so far? This one by Jamar Logan:
Have you bought my debut book I’M JUDGING YOU: The Do-Better Manual. Haven’t ordered it yet? Now’s your chance. You’ll love it. Amazon. Barnes & Nobles. iBooks. Audible (I narrated the audiobook myself). Kobo. Books-A-Million.
Get these blogposts directly in your inbox! Sign up for my weekly LuvvLetter below:
It is time to write that book. Come into The Book Academy and learn how to go from IDEA to INK.
Related Posts
93 Comments
awwww poor Kanye
Yes, MA’AM! Allllll ‘o dis.
I was with my husband watching this and he commented on how he didn’t see Rose being a bad guy coming. Ummm…::Kanye face:: HOW?!
I suspected her the minute I saw her use her head to knock on Chris’s door in the beginning. I knew there was something wrong when she told him she didn’t mention he was Black. But I KNEW-KNEW when she took him “for a walk” during the “bingo” auction. The mother mentioned that this was a party they had EVERY…YEAR…You mean to tell me she’s NEVER been privy to this silent auction of human beings in this house she grew up in? NAWL.
Black women know. lololol
Literally, when she walked through the door i knew it was her….
My husband didn’t catch it either. I thought the exact same thing when she knocked on the door with her face instead of her foot or something.
Now I want to poll the number of black women vs men who were surprised she was in on it. My hubby was in denial all the way up until Chris found the pictures. I just kept saying, “she’s white they’re white, white folks stick together!”
Absolutely worth the wait! Loved this. All. Of. It. Thank you for pointing out things I missed as well. I definitely want to see it again now.
Rod is the movie. I think Forrest Whitaker in ‘Color of Money’. (“So, be honest with me. Do you think I should lose some weight?”) Everything about him says no. He is TSA. Nobody likes TSA. Only Rose was watching him. Rose knows sooner or later Rod has to sink. He knows Andre and Chris both. She just underestimates him like I did all through the movie. He changed my life. From now on I tip the TSA.
Awesome analysis, Luvvie. The part about how white women can’t be trusted will always stand out to me since Jordan Peele is married to a white woman in real life. That tickles me. Wonder how woke she is…
GTFOH! Little sista your deer analogy is amazing! Now, I’ll have to watch it again with all this in mind. GREAT JOB!
Scrolled right down to “Georgina” because I’ve seen the “no, no, no” gif a lot of places but was waiting to see what you had to say. Mmm hmm, sisters been to school with and had to work for too many Anne/Becky folk to fall for the okey doke.
The only plot hole in this movie….
White people don’t want to become or be black.
Other than that,everything was spot on.
Correction: Oh, but they do want everything our culture has which is essentially “being” black.
The whole movie would have made a hell of a lot more sense if they’d just been brainwashing black folks into being slaves. Ain’t no old white lady on this planet want to live in a black body, no matter how smooth the skin.
Brainwashing them into slaves wouldn’t have given the white people in the movie the speed (Grandpa) and the smooth skin, fabulous hair and lovely body (Grandma). They may not have WANTED to be black people, but they didn’t have any other way of truly possessing that which they desired.
Ok, I get that. Sti.
I could swear Chris Rock did a routine about this years ago. Talked about “ain’t no white man in this audience want to trade places with me…And I’m rich!”
First, most white people don’t get what it means to be black, like don’t even really think about it. White people like this? They would have no idea. Not until the deed was done. Plus, they’re super open minded! Would have voted for Obama a third time. How bad could it be, especially couched in so much money?
Second, it’s key that they’re getting old. When your health starts breaking down, that’s a whole different deal. Would you rather give up your privilege or be in pain full time? Harder question. Also, in the States, there’s often more privilege conferred on youth than the elderly. So when you’re old enough to see a horizon where you’ll need help going to the bathroom, the privilege differential may not be as extreme.
Finally, everyone around them knows they’re not “really” black, right? It’s like the world’s most obscene form of blackface. Implausibly grotesque appropriation, or an amusing parlor trick? Depends on your audience.
That couldn’t’ be further from the truth. They covet everything about us to include our bodies. They just don’t want to be treated like n*gg*s.
But that’s what the movie was about. It was literally about brainwashing black people and replacing their minds with the minds of white people. I think the main messages of the movie were: a) dear black person, beware of the sunken place *cough Condoleeza *cough. Check yourself. b) white supremacy is not always hatred for black people, it is also fetishization of blackness while ignoring our humanity. Check your friends.
The swahili song at the beginning says: listen to the wise sages… He is not telling us to be wise that white people want to take over our bodies, the warning is that they will take over our minds.
Not to mention why would the grandparents want to be house servants?
It makes no damn sense and the more I think about it, the more I think Peele and his white wife are laughing all the way to the bank.
The grandparents were house servants while Chris was there. How do we know that when the parents didn’t have a black body they were trying to snatch that they were servants? I think that was just the part they had to play during the acquisition.
If you noticed during the party, Georgina wasnt dressed as a servant. She had regular clothes on. I think they only played those roles when company came over.
“White people don’t want to become or be black.”
I think this is the paradox…. In the movie, someone asks “why black people”? And the response has to do with their/our physical strength, to start. They clearly understand the mental/physical strength of our race but they also understand white supremacy and having the complexion for protection. When they “look” black (e.g., Andre’s host), they lose some of their protections but their mindset (mis)leads them to believe that they have and can maintain their (perceived) superiority. Their interactions have to be limited because of their new “bodies”.
I just think for the movie about racism it’s missing a really big point about racism. But at the end of the day it’s a great movie and I wish Jordan Peele all the success in the world.
Whether white people want to be black or not isn’t the point — the point is control/enalavement.
White society absolutely aims to control black bodies and minds, and white people “dabble” in black culture constantly. We (white people) can “try on” pieces of blackness that we admire or appreciate; black people can not escape the control of white society.
How on Earth can you say that in a world with Kim Kardashian in it?
Paul Mooney, “Everybody wanna be a n*gga, but nobody wants to be n*gga”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMX4R9Wz8ns
So my white hubby and I had to make a pact before we went to see this – i had to promise not to think his family this evil and he had to apologize for white people everywhere. Fortunately our marriage didn’t end after seeing this- but oh it was close lol
LMAO!!!
Wow!
There is another thing I noticed about the dinner table scene with
Rose’s brother that a lot of people didn’t catch. Remember how Chris said he practiced Taekwondo and the brother insisted he should be an MMA fighter instead. Saying he had the brawn for MMA, but Taekwondo is a “thinking man’s sport” and Chris couldn’t possibly have the strategic mind to think “one step ahead” as Taekwondo requires. It’s reminiscent of how many white coaches and NFL team owners want to use black men’s “brawn” on the football field, but don’t think they have the “brains”to be a quarterback, which is why we don’t see many black quarterbacks. Really deep stuff.
Great point!!! I think this also ties neatly to the fact that the black people’s bodies were being used by the white people (for their physical abilities including strength and stamina), but their brains needed to be replaced with white people’s.
OMG that auction immediately made me think of the NFL Combine and the way it’s conducted. It’s about your speed, agility and athleticism being bought by the highest bidder.
Great catch Toni, excellent parallel to the Quarterback analogy
And a callback to this was when Chris & Jeremy (Rose’s brother) were grappling at the door. Chris deliberately opened the door a 2nd time to make Jeremy try to kick it shut, thus exposing his thigh for the shanking and allowing Chris to ultimately stomp Jeremy’s deranged ass to death. Message: underestimate Black folks and our intellect to your peril. You may be thinking 3 steps ahead but we’re thinking 10 steps ahead because that’s been essential to our survival.
Yeap!
Yes, sharply made analogy, Toni.
Luvvie, awesome post. I would just add a critique of that scene when Rose thought it was the police (when it was in fact Rob) coming for Chris and she tried to play the victim. They always try to play victim knowing that the way this society is set up they will be believed.
*standing ovation* This. Is. EVERYTHING!! You make me want to re-watch the movie. I want to force everyone to read this! Luvvie, you just don’t disappoint, and your third eye was LIVE to see and dissect the movie this way. You make me feel as though I sleepwalked through the movie-I caught some nuances, but CLEARLY I missed MUCH!
The note about Georgina and the black woman’s CONSTANT fight for survival and continually trying to help the black man even when she herself is in the sunken place was GOLDEN.
Thank you for this! #LuvvNation
As I was finishing this read and got to your “Rose” analysis, the first person who came to mind is Ivanka Complicit-Ass Trump. She, in her gentrified innocence, is the full, in living color embodiment of DarthBecky victimhood. And she’s done it all – throughout the campaign and now as an “official” federal employee – with a sweet smile on her face. She’s more dangerous than her idiot father!
Lol
Yes to all of this.
I too drew the deer/buck parallels that you did.
This movie should be part of race studies classes for obvious reasons and not so obvious reasons. Speaking of which I love that he had Rose looking for her next victim in the NBA speaks volumes.
I never trusted Rose but the one thing that stood out to me was the subtle hints and flirting with Rod every time Chris was on the phone with him and how Rod would brush her off like don’t get it twisted I don’t get down like that. Her flirting with Rod was a way to drive a wedge between them. She knew Rod was “that friend” that would be looking out and for you and she didn’t need that. And I really didn’t buy the whole discussion piece that said maybe Rose had no choice but to be complicit in her parents’ schemes because at the end she was so a part of the schemes and madness.
And don’t get me started on the innocence routine with the not knowing that the “annual party” was the weekend they just happened to visit or the “I can’t find the keys in that small ass bag” routine. I’m still side-eyeing some folks I know after watching this movie. I’m for sho’ getting the extended version director’s cut on DVD/Blu-Ray/whatever when it comes out. I could watch this movie multiple times and still catch something I missed before.
I love your reply. Spot on! I knew this girl was a liar from the get-go when she said that Chris was her first black boyfriend. When we all know that the majority of white girls start hunting for a black boyfriend/experience from a very young age. I should know, I’m a teacher. I see it in middle and high school every day.
You’re right because one started hunting for my son when he was ten years old; she wanted to go on a “movie date.” My response was hell to the NO!
Loved the movie and loved your insights, as I too, am obsessed with this movie.
Great post! Does anyone have thoughts on the final scene when Chris is choking Rose and she looks at him and smiles?
I think Rose was thinking “See? I’m right. This is exactly what you (black people) are. Violent, murders.”
Thoughts?
She was smiling because she knew even through all that had happened he STILL couldn’t kill her because white woman & she knew when the cops pulled up, he would still get locked up even though he was defending himself.
Jordan Peele said there is an alternate ending where Chris winds up in prison.
Great observations on EVERYthing per usual!
One thing I did notice that not many people talk about in their thinkpieces is how even though Georgina was actively trying to warn and ultimately did save Chris- that shoebox tho- HE still killed HER.
He flashed Walter who- never fought back against Granpa & could have lived as long as he didn’t run into another teacup but he didn’t just flash Georgina when she woke up before forcing them into the tree.
To me that was a reminder of how Black women always fight(like you said) and still remain the most disrespected people in the country. I don’t think Jordan was even going that deep with it and that says a lot too.
And speaking on black women in Get Out…let’s talk about the police detective Rod was 1st speaking to. She intently listened to his story then called in the other 2 detectives who at that end laughed poor Rod out the door. I think the black female detective represents black women who are in a position to fight for and try to save/protect our black men BUT once she found out Chris was with a white woman, all bets are off. Tired of saving black men who willfully go off with white women.
I wonder if there will ever be a time where Black men will actively fight for and defend Black women.
Yes. Good question.
Great job Queen you did that!!!
This post was the bomb. Georgina literally was trying to spill the tea for him! Deep insight. I want to see the rest of your notes if you feel like doing a part two.
Your analysis of Peele’s masterpiece is brilliant. I’m glad that you’re so obsessed with it. Ku-dos.
I also think Rod is important because I think it’s people like him (regular, working class black folks) that will be the key to black America’s salvation. Think about it. Bougie black people either marry other bougie black people or they marry whites! Obviously there are some who don’t, but the black upper class is too busy politicking with white folks/climbing the corporate ladder to care about “those people”. I was listening to an old episode of This American Life that originally aired shortly after Katrina. A black woman with a “good job” and a white tourist BOTH said how the “looters” were the ones bringing supplies to people. Yeah they broke into stores, but they were stealing water and diapers and food. The problem with the working/lower class is that the majority are SLEEP. They need to WAKE UP and the bougie black people need to GET OUT of the white man’s world, as the Ministuh (Louis Farrakhan) always says.
Your analysis is so spot on! I am obsessed with it, too, and just saw it for the third time this weekend. I didn’t make the connection between Rose and Andre, because of the line about Chris being lucky he was Rose’s acquisition, since her brother’s methods were far worse (as we saw). It does make sense that she would have put him in a place where her brother (who was creepy af in any context) could snatch him.
As far as Rose, I don’t think her horse riding clothing and ponytail (she puts her hair up immediately the moment she’s revealed to be in on it) with a hunting rifle was accidental. To me she appears like a typical WASP country club deer hunter devoid of emotion or remorse, and dead-eyed. Until the strangling when she smiled, of course. I’m still not convinced either way if that was “see what I made you do, your violent nature” or “you won’t kill me.”
OF COURSE Rose told her parents Chris was black. THAT WAS THE ENTIRE POINT! ???? You don’t set up a garden tea party slave auction for the next day, with Bingo props, enlarged photos on a tripod, and people coming in from all over WITHOUT knowing what is bout to pop off.
She just lied to Chris because, lies.
Rose prolly been responsible for getting the targets of these parties since she got her first period ????
Do not be fooled. She told her parents Chris was black. They knew. It is why she brought him home.
And then they partied.
The horror also crosses gender/sexuality lines. It didn’t dawn on me until a week AFTER seeing the movie what kind of bizarro nightmare it would be to be a black (assumed) lesbian… controlled by an old white woman, sleeping next to(assumed) to have sex with a black man, controlled by an old white man… The acknowledgement that for the better part of 400 years, black women not only didn’t control their own bodies, but also been victimized sexually by both black and white men. day in and out… I’d fight that shit harder than Ophelia in The Color Purple. #getout
THIS. Amen.
@Nutella EXCELLENT EXCELLENT Point! That just added a whole new perspective for me.
Well done article! You addressed a few points of the movie that I wasn’t quite aware of. I didn’t even pick up on the color red motif or that there was a strong possibility that Georgina was the one that left that crawlspace open for Chris to find.
Thanks for FINALLY posting this!! There are so many layers to this movie. I am enjoying all the perspectives, but yours is my favorite. I figured Georgina had been leaving the cupboard door open and wasn’t a bit surprised that Chris not only ignored it, but accused her of being jealous/angry about him being with Rose. Don’t nobody want you, I’m trying to save yo life “Brotha”! Typical…
OMG! “Don’t nobody want you, I’m trying to save yo life “Brotha”! Love this! So true!
I knew your analysis wouldn’t disappoint! I also saw the movie twice – in one weekend.
Not to split hairs, but I believe the UNCF “a mind is a terrible thing to waste” slogan was coming from Rod’s TV in a different scene, not the TV Chris was forced to watch in the basement. Your point remains, though, but I think it was a different scene.
YOU BETTA BE DEEP AS THE OCEAN ON THIS ANALYSIS GAL!! I love this. So many things I overlooked. Now I have to see it again!
I will be checking the movie out now, just based on this article. I don’t like horror movies, that is the reason that I haven’t rushed out to see it…But I’m so curious to see what all the rave is about.
It was nowhere close to horror. More suspense. I had to watch it after reading the article. The movie did not disappoint.
Love this think piece. I actually watched the movie for the first time on Friday and went and streamed it online the day after. The second time was nuts because I starred to pick up on all those subtle /creepy details. I’m just at a loss of words for how complete the movie was, like you know they took time and thought out every detail. It’s also scary how relevant the movie was. Every black person can relate to the sizing up scene kmt..
Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. Especially the section on Jim Hudson.
This is EVERYTHING. Also picked up on the fact that while Chris was prized for his physical strength and artistic ability (and not his intellect), in the end, it was his smarts that saved him. He thought of putting the cotton in his ears to resist the hypnosis. Also what was mentioned before of Roses’s putting her hair back and revealing her true identity and wearing whitey McWhitey clothes after being unmasked.
All of the black people and their bodies that were taken over were trying to fight back from the sunken place. Every. Single. One. Andre got a camera flash that snapped him out. He looked out for Chris by screaming a warning. The black woman fought to come back through tears and some tasks and motor skills being off. In small ways, grandma was not always in control. The mom would notice she was off and talk to her to reinforce grandma’s control. Also, Chris remembering how his mother died, he tried to save the black woman by picking her up and taking her with him. He had no choice but to kill her because she was more grandma than not, tried to kill him, and was too far gone. The black man/groundskeeper fought back from the grandfather’s control long enough to kill Rose and stop his body from being used by ending his own life. He was lucid enough to know Rose lured him and got some revenge while trying to put a stop to her luring others to the same terrible fate. All those people fought.
Also, Rose gets shot in the stomach, which doesn’t kill her immediately, but she is left in the road to die a slow painful death. That’s telling and again recaps to his Mom’s death.
As well as the deer’s.
EVERY. SINGLE. ONE!!!!!
Yes!
Wow!! Amazing analysis. You pointed out so many things that I missed. I can’t wait to see it again. I didn’t notice the wearing of red at the auction and I think it’s significant since it’s known that Africans were lured to slave ships by europeans waving red flags. Layers…
Great job doing all the unpacking in this film. So much I missed especially the stuff about the deer and now I could just smack myself in the forehead the deer symbolize the black man as a “buck.” The part where Dr. Armitage makes the statement about hating deer I got that was Code language, deer equal black people. The thing with the Asian/Japanese man kind of went over my head. But Luvvie you were so sharp in your observation about him not fitting in the group of white people
There was a piece done on Get Out on VSB and one poster tried to give his take on what the Asian character was about in regard to Chris. But your observation was so much better and it made much more sense than what the poster on VSB was trying to say. I need to copy this post and put it in my notebook. Great job on the breaking down of this film. I definitely have to get your book now.
It’s so strange how Jordan Peele created this art about white supremacy and he’s married to a white woman and he’s biracial.
[…] Source link […]
“Was there Christ imagery in this?” Yes!! In the fight seen with Rose’s mother, she drives the fire poker through the palm of Chris’s hand! And thank you for this thorough analysis!
Nicely observed!!
The opening song…….. jeez! i never noticed until i read your article… !!!!
“But stay woke
Niggas creepin’
They gon’ find you
Gon’ catch you sleepin’ (oh)
Now stay woke
Niggas creepin’
Now don’t you close your eyes
The time you put into this post. So good.
Can we talk about how creepy that brother Jeremy is??? That actor did a great job of making me cringe every time he was onscreen.
This is absolutely fantastic and I haven’t even seen the movie yet!! I’ve read and heard a lot of commentaries on it but one… tops them all!!! Sometimes you have to go back a second and third time to get the jest of a movie! Thanks Luvvie, I won’t have to go back a second time! I now know what to look for! I’m really tripping on how you broke this down because I JUST heard a Black female doctor on a podcast program talking about how body parts and malenated products are being SOLD around the world????. Hats off to you lady!!! Outstanding!!
I saw this film last week in London, and still haven’t got over it. It has weighed on my mind, since, like no other. What a phenomenal piece of work! Well done to everyone involved.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Luvvie. They’ve made me realise just how much I’d picked up on, and how much I’d missed. A return cinema visit to see this wonder again is a must….
I like the Childish Gambino Redbone song.
My coworkers and I have been talking about this film for what seems like months. I too felt a certain way about Peele making a movie that spoke so many volumes, but is married to a white woman.
I did notice how, with most of white American companys, they past it down from generation to generation, and the father was in the basement teaching Jermey the next phase of the “company”.
This analogy is EVERYTHING! Once again the intelligence of the black man is underestimated. He was a lil slow getting there, but ultimately he got there. Come thru black man….come thru. This blog is the absolute truth. “Shank” you very much!!
Just had to come back and add that when Rose used her head to knock on that apartment door at the start, and gain entry the audience was being given a heads-up as to what this film would be all about….
An absolutely incredible film!
Aesthetically, the entire theatre became a physical extension of the #sunkenplace. This made me wonder if we were already in the sunken place awaiting Chris’ arrival, or did we fall in with him.
As the audience and I screamed and ungh uh’d, it occurred to me that we as the audience are walking through this experience already in the sunken place. We were Georgina. We were Andre. We were completely helpless as we followed Chris everywhere trying to warn him. Our cries fell on Chris’ deaf ears.
I speak Swahili and once that song (Sikiliza kwa Wahenga-Listen to the elders) started playing I knew mmmm, things are thick here.
I don’t think I will ever forget this movie.
Get out is a masterpiece. The movie kept me on my toes through the entire movie and I felt emotionally connected as I watched it, this is a movie that everyone should at least watch once in their life. Just wow! An amazing movie that must be seen to understand how amazing it is! Well done to everyone involved in the making of Get Out and the acting, ooh… the acting was FANTASTIC!
The grandmother and grandfather took over the brains of Georgina and the groundskeeper right? So why still treat them like house niggas if that’s your grandparents?
GREAT and fun article…!!
Out of curiosity, have you ever seen/read Dutchman by Amiri Bakara. It reminds me of Get Out, a lot.