Get Out

Just because you’re invited, doesn’t mean you’re welcome.

It’s not unusual for a horror film to feed off the current political climate, and ‘Get Out’ does just that - provocatively playing on the racial tension that’s sweeping through the US at the moment.

Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) is a young African American nervous about meeting his white girlfriend’s family for the first time. While Rose’s parents seem friendly enough - her dad in particular (Bradley Whitford – ‘Saving Mr Banks’, ‘The West Wing’) can’t wait to share that his grandad was beaten by Jesse Owens and that he “would have voted for Obama 3 times if they’d have let him” - Chris can’t help but notice the strange behaviour of their entirely black staff; not to mention the highly eccentric family friends that are staying for the weekend. While they always seem to have reasonable explanations for their bizarre behaviour, there’s something that gives Chris the feeling that all is not quite what it seems… When a friend calls to tell him that a lot of people have gone missing in that area, Chris starts thinking that he needs to ‘Get Out’ as fast as he can!

The film is as deft at building up an atmosphere of unease, as it is at capturing more subtle observations of racism. These are seamlessly combined with some occasional satirical laughs to make this film far more than your usual fare. If you only watch one thriller this year, make it ‘Get Out’!