Get Out
(2017) 104 Min.
Rated: R (Gore)
Country: USA
Director: Jordan Peele
Stars: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Bradley Whitford, Kathrine Keener, Stephen Root
Links: IMDB | Wikipedia
Rating: ★★★★★
An African American man has growing hesitation when meeting his white girlfriend’s parents.
Synopsis:
Chris Washington (Kaluuya) is a young African American professional photographer who happens to be deeply in love with an affluent young white woman named Rose Armitage (Williams). Rose and he plan a trip to visit Rose’s parents. Chris at first worries if they are aware that he’s black, she replies “no” but also thinks they aren’t racist and knows it won’t be a problem.
During the drive to the Armitage home Rose hits a deer that leaps in front of their car. Chris checks on the dying deer and later a police comes. He requests Chris’ ID even though he wasn’t driving and Rose refuses to allow Chris to be subjected to discrimination.
Chris meets Rose’s parents Missy (Keener) and Dean (Whitford), as well as her younger brother, Jeremy. The family tries to make Chris feel welcomed but he’s a bit disturbed by the odd behavior of the family and of the black servants Walter and Georgina.
That night Chris feels very rattled and decides to go for a smoke. Missy, who is a psychiatrist and hypnotist, convinces Chris to sit with her. She manages to get him into a trance and Chris re-lives the day his mother died when he was 11 years old. He is pulled into a place called “The Sunken Place” and can see through his own eyes but cannot control his body. He wakes up in his room as if nothing had happened.
Chris wakes up and realizes that Missy hypnotized him to stop smoking. A family gathering is also occurring the same time as Rose and Chris’ visit and soon enough many cars show up. Almost all of the guests are affluent white people. They all seem to take an interest in Chris and have odd interactions with him.
He sees the only black man at the meeting and greets him. The man is named Logan King and his behavior is constantly wooden and unsettling to Chris. Chris makes his way to his room and calls his TSA officer and best friend Rod. Chris tells Rod about the hypnotism and the behavior of people at the gathering as well as how familiar yet strange Logan King seemed to be.
Chris tries to take a photo of Logan with his phone’s camera, but the flash causes Logan’s nose to bleed and for a moment he runs up to Chris screaming at him to “Get out!”. He is subdued and calmed down by Missy while Dean explains his actions as a seizure. Unconvinced, Chris decides to take Rose on a walk alone and asks her to leave early.
While Chris and Rose are away the rest of the family gathers and has a silent auction for Chris. The auction is won by a blind art dealer named Jim Hudson (Root) who had previously admired Chris’ photography.
Rose relents and the two return to the house with the intent to leave at night. Rod recognizes the picture of Logan as Andre Hayworth, a mutual acquaintance. While packing Chris notices a small in the room ajar leading to a tiny hiding space. The space is filled with photos of Rose with other black men. Chris recognizes Walter as well as Georgina. Chris tells Rose they need to leave that instant. As they take their leave they are blocked by Missy, Dean and Jeremy. Rose laughs at Chris telling him he knows she can’t let him leave. Missy then hypnotizes Chris.
Chris wakes up tied to a chair with a TV that explains that the Armitage family conducts experiments where they basically transfer the mind of one of them into the body of a black person. The person is trapped inside the body but cannot control it. He’s informed that he will be put into the body of the art dealer. Chris pulls up some stuffing from the chair and plugs his ears up so he can’t be hypnotized by Missy.
Jeremy comes to retrieve Chris, but Chris is able to escape and beat Jeremy. Quickly he runs through the house and kills Dean, Missy and Jeremy. He tries to escape in the car but as he drives away Georgina jumps in front of the car. Chris feels regret since his mother was hit by a car. He pulls her into the car with him, but she causes him to crash the vehicle. Rose, meanwhile, is trying to shoot him with a shotgun. Walter runs up to him and tries to subdue him. Rose reveals that Walter and Georgina are really controlled by her grandparents. Chris manages to flash a photo in Walter’s eyes which causes him to take the gun from Rose, shoot her, then shoot himself. Rose, dying, tries to reach for the gun, but Chris reaches it first and tries to choke her. He gives up as a police car approaches.
Rose cries for help, but Rod appears from he car and helps Chris into the car as Rose dies on the road. Rod was able to find out where Chris was with his TSA skills.
