• Get Out

11/10/17 (Fri), Tokyo

A clever horror flick set in the here and now (like right now – the characters wish Obama could have had a third term) with a great premise and sly social commentary expertly woven in. A black guy visits his white girlfriend’s large family estate in what looks to be an updated Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (“You did tell them I was black…?” “Umm, don’t worry, they’ll love you”). But his isolation in their snow-white society and the clumsy attempts by whites to be hip (“I love Tiger Woods”) are the least of his worries as events take a sinister turn. He notes in particular the odd behavior of the other blacks on the scene – no black vernacular, no acknowledgment of their commonality, polite handshakes rather than fist bumps, upper-class white in manner and speaking. He sends a photo taken of one preppy black guy in a straw hat at a garden party (who goes berserk at the flash) to his friend, an airport security worker. When the worker recognizes the strange dude as an old friend, a bit of research reveals not only that he has gone missing, but that a slew of other black folks have disappeared recently as well – and the suspense goes into full gear.

In addition to a terrific balance of suspense and understated humor, this is the best portrayal I’ve ever seen of the uncomfortable situation of blacks in an all-white world, all the more for its non-preachy approach. Writer/director Jordan Peele, a very talented first-timer, has a good ear for dialogue and a singular take on the material. To describe more would be giving too much away, but the film subtly suggests the subjugation of black culture by a prevailing white culture that insists on conformity (like Harvey Fierstein’s rewrite of The Wiz). The horror story unfolded with skill, as with the discovery of the mysterious letter box, before fizzling out disappointingly into the usual impossible heroic resolution; the last 15 minutes was pretty cookie-cutter stuff, jarring with the careful setup in the rest of the film. But the overall impression is strong. The performances were fine, especially the main couple, but the real star is the writer. Will keep an eye out for future works.