Get Out is replete with moments of ingenious foreshadowing, but one early hint in the narrative comes remarkably close to revealing the movie’s concealed secrets. The storyline revolves around Chris (Daniel Kaluuya), a Black man whose initial visit to his girlfriend’s family starts raising suspicions about a concealed agenda. Upon its release, Get Out created a significant buzz, amassing $255 million in box office revenue with a production budget of $4.5 million, and notably, earning Jordan Peele the distinction of being the first Black recipient of the Best Original Screenplay Oscar.
While the script captivates through its adept control of tension and effective use of scares, Peele enhances the experience by infusing Get Out with richly rewarding hidden nuances. While certain cues remain exceedingly subtle and might evade notice upon an initial viewing, others overtly indicate that something is amiss while shrouding the actual truth. The portrayal of the groundskeeper, Walter (Marcus Henderson), is a prime example within the film that effectively raises red flags, with a seemingly innocuous moment gaining a sinister and poignant reinterpretation upon a subsequent viewing.
The dramatic twist in ‘Get Out,’ revealing the Armitages’ intention to transplant Chris’ brain with that of their affluent client, is a revelation not easily anticipated. Yet, upon a second viewing, the film unfolds a multitude of intricacies, showcasing the layers of subtle hints and foreshadowing meticulously embedded within Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning screenplay. A noteworthy aspect deserving careful scrutiny is the conduct of the Armitage family’s groundskeeper, Walter, whose brain has been supplanted by that of the family’s patriarch, Roman Armitage. While Walter’s nocturnal activities in ‘Get Out’ subtly insinuate his true identity as the 1936 Olympic Athlete Roman, the most prominent clue emerges during the arrival of guests for the Armitages’ ‘party.
The disquieting party scene, where numerous guests arrive with the clandestine agenda of vying for the opportunity to inhabit Chris’ body, initiates with a glimpse of ‘Walter’ courteously opening car doors for each guest and warmly embracing them. The attendees warmly greet Walter as an old acquaintance, subtly challenging the notion that he is merely the Armitages’ groundskeeper. Upon revisiting the scene, this warm reception finds explanation in the revelation that the guests are actually embracing their former acquaintance, Roman Armitage. This detail teeters on the edge of prematurely exposing the plot, but Peele adroitly conceals the moment behind a seemingly innocuous guise.
At the outset, the Armitages employ an approach to allay Chris’ concerns, presenting themselves as a benevolent and socially conscious family. Dean Armitage (Bradley Whitford) attempts to assure Chris by expressing his hypothetical choice to vote for Obama for a third term and highlighting the integration of their black staff as ‘part of the family.’ However, this assertion takes on a starkly different meaning as the twist ending in ‘Get Out’ unveils that the Black servants are, in actuality, hosts for the consciousness of the Armitage grandparents, truly making them ‘part of the family.’
The affable reception Walter receives from the Armitage guests encapsulates this dual interpretation. Initially, it seemingly validates the perception that Walter is genuinely considered an integral part of the family, transcending his employee status. This paints a broader image of the Armitage family and by extension, American society, as a seemingly post-racial utopia, a notion that Chris appears unjustifiably suspicious of. Consequently, when the truth about the Armitage family in ‘Get Out’ comes to light, it amplifies the disquiet, dismantling the optimistic vision of a post-racial America.