I can’t believe this is a movie that I saw much less am reviewing, but I am so glad my curiosity got the better of me and I had my closed mind opened up. The trailers and marketing made this film look like a B-level slasher film and then when I saw that it was written and directed by Jordan Peele of ‘Key and Peele’ fame, I just assumed this would be a silly, amateurish, slightly satirical horror film. I dismissed this film and didn’t give it a second thought. Then I saw that it started to get uncommonly good reviews and almost universally so. I decided to give it a go and I have to say that, in my mind, Jordan Peele is no longer a sketch comedy writer, rather a full fledged film maker. While there are aspects of horror in this film, I would categorize it under a “Psychological Thriller”. This film is full of depth and nuance, while taking you on a psychological thrill ride you won’t soon forget.
The film centers on a young African-American photographer, Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya) whose Caucasian girl friend Rose (Allison Williams) plans to take him home to meet her wealthy white family. Chris is naturally hesitant as the family doesn’t know he is black and he fears their reaction. While Chris definitely feels something is amiss when he meets Rose’s parents, his fears are somewhat set aside as, despite some elitist gaffes on Rose’s father Dean’s (Bradley Whitford) part, the family seems welcoming albeit uncomfortably embracing. The skill of Director Jordan Peele is making the normal seem abnormal. Peele allows us to know (feel perhaps?)something is wrong right from the beginning, but like Chris we can never figure out exactly what. The groundskeeper Walter and the maid Georgina (Marcus Henderson and Betsy Gabriel) are the only African-Americans around and, to Chris's discomfort, act in a subservient role. Dean seems to have a plausible explanation that would keep his non-racist credentials intact, but we all sense that something is amiss, especially after witnessing the ethereal behavior of both Walter and Georgina.
To make matters worse, Rose forgot that they arrived on the weekend of her family’s annual gathering of elderly friends and family. Chris’s discomfort grows as he becomes the center of everyone’s attention for reasons he can’t quite figure out. The few African-American people he meets in the family gathering seem out of place and have the same distant qualities of Walter and Georgina. Chris knows he has stepped into something beyond his control when a late night encounter with Rose’s psychiatrist mother (Katherine Keene) causes him to fall into a suffocating and terrifying hypnosis experience. It is then that Chris as become aware that he must leave and hopefully take Rose with him.
The film’s roller coaster ride only rises from there and the most ‘edge-of-your-seat’ part is that we are never quite sure what exactly is going on. While we feel things begin to spin out of control, we feel Chris’s need to understand what is happening. That is the thrill of this movie because it isn’t until the last act that it all begins to become clear and the reality is even more horrifying than one thinks. I was left breathless by the end and that is what a good movie is all about.
If you are afraid this film will be a blood bath, it isn’t so don’t let that deter you. There is very little, if any bloody scenes and even some squeamish scenes towards the end are not done over the top. I highly recommend this film and apologize to Director Jordan Peele for having such a closed mind. He is a true artist. This is my surprise sleeper pick for the year (rolling 12 months, not just since January). Anyone who wants an intense thriller should go and be prepared for the ride.
I give this film **** stars
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