Jordan Peele’s satirical horror Get Out was awarded “best feature” at the pre-Oscar Film Independent Spirit Awards. They have successfully predicted the best picture winner at the Oscars four years in a row. Could Get Out be the fifth?
Jordan Peele also won “best director” in spite of the fact that this was his first writing and directing project. For those of you who didn’t catch the movie last year, Get Out is a psychological horror story about a black man visiting his white girlfriend’s family for the first time. He begins to get the impression that something is not right and the plot quickly unfolds to reveal that something more sinister is going on in the family. The movie contains some great horror and is genuinely funny at times.
The racial commentary implicit within the undertones and at the forefront of the movie adds a deeper level to the deliberately induced discomfort we feel watching. Peele clarifies his original intentions when making the movie claiming that:
“This project didn’t start as a statement – it began as me wanting to make a film in my favorite genre… mind-bending horror.”
It really is a mind-bending horror and the low-budget thriller is certainly deserving of the award. We are looking forward to finding out whether the movie does equally as well at the Oscars.
