Ahead of the time of the year we are in, the Halloween season and Black History Month, it is impossible not to mention the contemporary master of social horror on screen, Jordan Peele. In short, this genre employs horror elements to address instances of apparent oppression in society. Unfortunately, we are still in an era where Black voices are silenced with hate, and their stories, contributions, memories, and achievements are being forgotten. As Peele aptly stated, "No matter how hard we scream, the system silences us."
Jordan Peele's directorial debut, "Get Out" (2017), made a significant impact right from the start. The film received critical acclaim from reviewers and achieved great success at the box office both domestically and internationally, becoming one of the most profitable films of the year.
The premise of the movie is deceptively simple: a boyfriend meets his girlfriend's parents. This premise can be traced back to the classic film "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" (Stanley Kramer, 1967).The film explores this subject matter, which has historically been viewed with a jaundiced eye and regarded as a taboo and controversial topic in a segregation era with the transition to the civil rights. In 1967, there was even debate about banning mixed-race marriages in the United States. However, as the plot unfolds, "Get Out" introduces numerous layers that engage the audience.
It echoes of this 1967 historical context provide the roots for the 2017 subject matter of veiled racism and white supremacy in "Get Out."
Jordan Peele adopts visual references to the distant traumatic past, such as colonial aesthetics through architecture and costumes. There are allusions to the cotton trade, which relied on slave labour in the US, as well as references to the Bingo Game (Slave Auctions), Teacup (a reference to how wives of slave owners would use a gentle strike of their teacup to summon house slaves), and the Boston Tea Party that played a role in the American Revolutionary War. Additionally, there are references to Jesse Owens in the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he won but was disqualified due to his skin colour.
The 'sunken place' is a visceral state of dimmed consciousness, but it's also evocative of pushing back against forward progress. When the protagonist closes his eyes here, it symbolizes the removal of his consciousness, reminiscent of the historical withholding of education to disenfranchise black people. The concept of taking over black bodies in the film symbolizes white people using black people as slaves, exploiting them for their motor skills and physical labour while retaining all power, despite their own physical ailments.
Furthermore, Peele incorporates sonic references into the film, such as the song 'Run Rabbit Run.' This song can be interpreted as a reference to a folk song about an unnamed black man who attempts to escape from a slave patrol and avoid capture. It was sung frequently on Southern plantations in the US during the 19th century.
Peele employs specific shots to his advantage. For instance, he utilizes a close-up frame that focuses on the coloured Fruit Loops in a bowl and a glass of white milk. Symbolically, this imagery represents their history of segregation and its lingering consequences in present-day American society. The theme of division is recurrent throughout the film, with binary opposites such as 'us versus the other,' as seen in the party scene where Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) wears blue, and the other guests wear red, signifying danger. Another recurring colour in the film is brown, symbolizing the earth and grounded nature, which harks back to the theme of veiled racism. In parallel to these historical references, there is a cultural aspect with the portrayal of domestic uniforms, reflecting the roles assigned to Black people in the early days of Hollywood.
Get Out was written and constructed during Barack Obama's presidency, but it was released and distributed in 2017, a time when the United States had inaugurated Donald Trump as President. This change in political leadership is significant, and it prompted the director to consider an alternate ending to ensure that the film's themes of race and injustice resonated with the audiences of that specific time period, reflecting the contemporary outcomes of the past.
When Rose cries out for help, the audience anticipates the grim outcome if a white police officer were to arrive, precisely what Rose is relying on. Jordan Peele initially intended to conclude the film with a bleaker ending, as a reminder to those who had voted for Obama that they were not living in a post-racial world. However, Peele later explained that the widespread outrage over police shootings of black men convinced him that the movie needed to offer a different conclusion, one that, in his words, 'gives us a hero, provides an escape, and leaves us with a positive feeling after watching the movie.'
The scene in which the police mock his fears resonates sadly with the reality that cases involving missing black individuals are statistically more likely to go unsolved. Even his humorous references to the TSA are built on the ironic assumption that the police won't prioritize helping Chris.
Jordan Peele's second film, 'Us' (2019), was another critical and commercial success, both domestically and internationally. The movie offered a detailed narrative that followed the traditional horror trope of evil doppelgängers and plot twists. Peele's signature style of incorporating social commentary was also evident. In this case, his critique delved into the social class system, highlighting its intersection with race, where poverty is unfortunately often associated with a particular racial background. The film also touched on issues of xenophobia, presenting binary opposites between those hidden in the shadows and margins of society, represented by 'Red' and the 'Tethered,' and those living comfortably outside this realm, embodied by Adelaide Thomas (Lupita Nyong'o) and her family. It explored the contrast between the disadvantaged and the privileged, as well as the concept of suffering versus comfort.
This theme becomes evident when Red explains that the government was capable of replicating the physical body but unable to duplicate the soul. She further emphasizes that without a soul, there is no free will. The government's objective was to create copies of every individual and utilize the 'Tethered' as a means of controlling those living above the ground. However, when the government recognized that these copies could only mimic the actions of their counterparts above ground, they eventually abandoned the experiment altogether.
Beyond these layers, there's a potential comparison to be made between Adelaide's family and the Tylers. The Tylers embodies traditional American values cantered around material possessions and social status, coupled with a contemporary perspective on technological advances. However, beneath this seemingly flawless exterior, the Tyler family and their marriage are revealed to be dysfunctional in stark contrast to Adelaide's family. Furthermore, the racial aspect comes into play, with the Tyler family's whiteness affording them a privileged economic position in comparison to Adelaide's.
A noteworthy reference in the film is the mention of 'Hands Across America.' This was a charity event in the 1980s during which people joined hands to form a human chain across the United States, with the aim of addressing issues affecting underserved communities in the country. The event was intended to raise both money and awareness for problems such as homelessness and hunger. However, despite its good intentions, the event ultimately failed to bring about significant change or address these prevalent issues. It's worth noting that one of the strong sponsors of this program was Michael Jackson, who is also referenced in the movie.
At the same time, 'Us' is a doppelgänger story with a title using an inclusive pronoun. This choice of title suggests that the film can be interpreted as a critique of humanity itself. In an interview at South by Southwest, the director expressed this idea by highlighting 'America's misplaced fear of outsiders. […] We’re in a time where we fear the other, whether it’s the mysterious invader that we think is going to come and kill us and take our jobs, or the faction we don’t live near, who voted a different way than us. We’re all about pointing the finger. And I wanted to suggest that maybe the monster we really need to look at has our face. Maybe the evil, it’s us.”
Black Lives Matter, created in 2013 by three radical Black organizers—Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, and Opal Tometi—is a black-centered political will and movement-building project. It emerged in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman, the murderer of Trayvon Martin. Black Lives Matter represents an ideological and political intervention in a world where Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for destruction. It serves as an affirmation of the humanity of Black individuals, acknowledging their contributions to society and resilience in the face of oppressive forces.
The movement gained significant visibility and influence through its use of social media, where the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter has been frequently used. Its significance increased notably during the pandemic in 2020 with the murder of George Floyd, which marked a turning point, raising greater political awareness for the cause and impacting the world.
It's also worth noting that Jordan Peele's narratives prior to this new wave in social consciousness addressed racial issues and featured Black storylines on screen with Black heroes, all while avoiding reliance on stereotypes.
Nope (2022), much like Jordan Peele's two previous films, received critical acclaim and resonated with audiences on a national and international scale. The American Film Institute acknowledged its excellence by including it in their list of the top ten films of 2022. The film employs sci-fi elements as a backdrop for a thought-provoking political statement. While it initially delves into the well-known Unidentified Flying Object (UFO) narrative, it eventually transforms this trope into a vehicle for exploring a deeper subject matter related to Hollywood.
In "Nope," Jordan Peele engages in a clever use of metalanguage to critique the cinema industry. The film incorporates Western-genre iconography, a style that was particularly beloved and successful at the box office in the United States during the previous decade. Emmerald Haywood, portrayed by Keke Palmer, sheds light on her family's history, tracing its origins to her Black grandfather, who she claims was the first stuntman in the motion picture industry. This serves to highlight the often overlooked contributions of minority figures in one of the most profitable industries in the U.S., which is often dominated by individuals of white ethnicity.
The extra-terrestrial element in the film is depicted as unpredictable, carnivorous, and a predator of humans due to its attacks, evoking the fear of the unknown. It's worth noting the irony that one of its victims is Jupe, played by Steven Yeun, who embodies an Asian child actor with a meteoric career in the industry. His character represents the persistence of tokenism in the entertainment industry, a practice where only superficial or symbolic efforts are made to include members of minority groups.
Furthermore, the unknown monster serves as an allegory for the film industry's treatment of actors, often blinding itself to the experiences and journeys of individuals from minority social groups, ultimately leading to their erasure and exploitation. This depiction underscores the impact of a media-driven society that seeks to capture and monetize everything, fostering a culture of extreme consumerism. The critique in "Nope" indeed extends beyond the film industry to encompass the theme of technology's impact on traditional businesses. The family's business, Haywood Hollywood Horses, is primarily dedicated to raising horses used in the entertainment industry. However, they face challenging times as new technologies, such as computer-generated images and prop-like horses, have emerged, making it much easier to manage these synthetic alternatives compared to real animals and led to the Haywood family business harm. This parallels the real-world scenario you mentioned, with the recent Disney+ release "Prom Pact" (Anya Adams in 2023) using intelligent artificial dolls as background characters in a scene.
Jordan Peele's film effectively underscores the broader societal implications of technological advancements, which can lead to the displacement of traditional businesses and practices. It's a timely critique, given the ongoing transformation of various industries due to technological innovations.
Peele himself has discussed the theme of spectacle at the forefront of his story in "Nope." Compared to Peele's previous two films, "Nope" undoubtedly offers a more ambiguous commentary on our society and culture. It's worth noting that Jordan Peele's contributions to filmmaking go beyond directing. He also served as the writer for other productions, such as the sequel "Candyman" (2021), where the residents of Cabrini Green serve as a reminder of disenfranchisement caused by systemic racism in the United States. Additionally, he worked on "The Twilight Zone" (2019-2020), which critiques machismo and racism in short stories featuring characters trying to escape mysterious and hysterical situations. Peele wrote "BlackKkKlansman" (Spike Lee, 2018), a biographical comedy-drama based on the 2014 memoir "Black Klansman" by Ron Stallworth. Finally, before his career off-screen, he was also known for his work as an actor and comedian.
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