"Get Out" Film
The new upcoming film "Get Out" directed and scripted by Jordan Peele, challenges the contemporary African-American identity surrounding Chris (main character) and his attempts of assimilating himself with his girlfriend's family.
From the trailer we are already engaged with the doubts and fears that Chris has about being Black around her family. "Do they know that I'm black?" To which Rose replies "Does it matter?" And begins to mock him suggests that Rose is happy to assimilate herself with Chris and to have a inter-racial relationship regardless of her family's opinions.
Further on, the police officer asks for Chris' Identification even though he wasn't driving, associating the separatism within society and acts as a reality of unfair treatment towards Black African-Americans within society which could be an association with the victim-shootings of Black African-Americans such as Rodney King as early as 1991 and Trayvon Martin who was killed in 2012, sparking the Black Lives Matter campaign.
When Chris goes to fist-bump Andrew he does not return the gesture in a stereotypical way that is often portrayed as a symbol of respect used by African-Americans. Instead, he shakes his hand, often associated as business-like and a more prominent gesture seen within White society.
It is soon clear that the niche friendship group of the White people wish to perform a labotamy on Chris and replace him with white people through hypnotism while he remains within a 'sunken place'. This correlates with the new derogatory identification of 'Oreos', those who "sacrifice their heritage and instead has adopted the attitudes, values and behaviours" thought to be associated with the middle class White society however, Chris does not do this willingly.
The scene of people sitting in rows playing bingo is a reference to the enslavement of African-Americans in the 1700-1800s. Those who sit and raise their cards is associated with the bidding of a slave within society to benefit White Americans whether on the fields or within the cities. In reality they are holding a modern day slave auction and Chris is who they auction for. The references to poor treatment is continued through the film with the driver wearing a metal mask which is an association to the Ku Klux Klan and their harsh treatment towards African-Americans within society.
While Chris is restrained to the chair by leather straps, in order to prevent the hypnotism from working on him he has to forcibly pick the cotton. Again this is another reference to how African-American slaves were forced to pick cotton to evade punishment and in order to survive.
As seen within the trailer, it is clear that Chris wishes to assimilate within the White society, however, the niche society of the rich people that Rose and her family associate with, they separate themselves from him and only associating themselves with him in order for gain or the more underlining reason for "profit". This horror film is clearly associated with the problems, concerns and questions that are raised with African-Americans within society in America. The sense of "two-ness" spoken of by W.E.B. DuBois of the "negro man and the American man" is seen here throughout the trailers/film.
The tag line of the film "Just because you're invited, doesn't mean you're welcome" finalises this divide. Those who are not seen as one and the same within society are not accepted within society which correlates with the arguments outlined by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Jr. argued that 'he had a dream' that white and black people would be equal to one another (assimilation) whereas Malcolm X argued that although the "negro man" lived within American society he should not associate himself with White people, re-enforcing the ideals of separatism.
Sources:
'Get Out' Film Trailer, 2017, Peele, J., https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=DzfpyUB60YY, accessed 12th March.
'Are You An Oreo?', Dixon, R., http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2009/08/are-you-an-oreo/, accessed 12th March.
Souls of Black Folk, DuBois, W.E.B., A. C. McClurg & Co., Chicago (1903).
'A Message to the Grass Roots', Malcolm X, November 10, 1963.
'I Have a Dream Speech', King Jr., Martin L., 28 August 1963.
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