Jordan Peele
Get Out

The recent period's thriller/horror cinema hasn't thrilled me. In fact, to be honest, it has decidedly disappointed and annoyed me. However, Jordan Peele, in this 2017, has rekindled a bit of hope in contemporary genre cinema for me (hope later devastated by "Annabelle 2") thanks to his debut film, "Get Out". A masterpiece? Definitely not. But the result of Peele's first directorial adventure is extremely satisfying and manages to do what most horror films in recent years fail to do: it forgoes those stupid and childish jump scares, preferring a more relaxed pace and a more old-school style, with tension created through directing, editing, and music, rather than relying on those damn BOOs! But let's go in order: what's the film about?

Chris Hayworth, an African American photographer, and his white girlfriend Rose Armitage go to her parents' house to spend a weekend with them, so Chris can meet his future in-laws. The parents seem very friendly, but Chris notices something strange: despite his girlfriend telling him they are not racist, they have a plethora of black servants, who seem to have something off. One night, Chris is hypnotized by Rose's mother, a therapist, in the hope of quitting smoking. And so it is. The next day, during a reunion with various relatives and friends of the Armitage family, Chris starts to become paranoid due to the strange behavior of all the African American people at the party and the not-so-comforting words of his friend Rod, a TSA agent, with whom he keeps in touch over the phone. I'll let you discover the rest of the plot on your own.

The film presents itself in continuous evolution, appearing in different forms, starting from a dramatic one to reach the violent type typical of more physical and grounded horror, always staying away from that supernatural genre that is prevailing in contemporary cinema. The screenplay is, in my opinion, the film's weakest point: few memorable lines, a caricatured characterization of Chris and his friend Rod, who speak almost only in terms of "yo, brother, bro" etc., sometimes predictable twists, and a somewhat too foreseeable plot development are the main flaws that drastically reduce the film's impact on the viewer. However, despite these major issues, Get Out enjoys excellent direction, reaching its peak in the hypnosis scene, with a power that's hard to imitate and almost perfect editing, alternating between close-ups, details, and long shots, while the viewer feels trapped, with no way to escape. The performance of the actors is truly excellent, with its ups and downs. The two leading actors, Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams, are perfectly immersed in their roles, as are the other actors who play important roles; perhaps, the only ones on which one might have something to say are Caleb Landry Jones and Lil Rel Howery, respectively Jeremy Armitage, Rose's brother, and Rod, whose performances are a bit too over the top.

Far from being an excellent film or, even less, a masterpiece, Get Out is a highly valid film, to watch and re-watch when you're in the mood for a good thriller-horror that can keep you on edge and entertain, without, however, falling into the most banal clichés of contemporary genre cinema nor being particularly innovative. A film with (few) lows and (numerous) highs, a film the thriller-horror cinema needed.