Saturday, February 24, 2018

Get Out wins my Oscar vote

The Oscars are coming up and there are many contenders for every category. But there is only one film that actually has all of the components of a great film. One that will not be forgotten and actually shines a bright light on the real America, the one that is not always kind to all of her citizens. And that film is Get Out.

It is a social psycho thriller which places race dead center. It features an actual modern day slave auction and the use of contemporary slave catchers. The family loves Obama and the black workers have been with their family for years. But it also shows us the sunken place where many Black folks exist as they try to survive the systemic and homegrown racism that is deep in the DNA of America. And we are currently living in a country where paper towels are thrown at hurricane victims and football players are told to stay in their place, and Black and Brown immigrants live in abject fear. The sunken place does exist.

The film even includes humor. The best friend who never gives up trying to find the main character provides us hope. And at the end when you are sure he is going to rot in jail as a result of all of those dead bodies, hope comes again when we see that it’s not really the police. Ask a Black person if you are not sure what that means. And this is not a Black film that should win because Black films seldom do. This is a truth telling film. It’s damn near a biopic of the United States. And it should stand and be recognized.

Because every other film that is nominated stands a close third to Get Out. There are stories about love, historical wars, angry mothers, and even the truth about ice skating. Let me just say that damn iTanya is brilliant but I digress. These stories have all been told before. If we think not too hard we can actually remember when and the title and if they won or not. But I always felt that the films that sweep me off my feet or challenge my senses were the memorable Oscar wins. And Get Out does that each and every time. Have I mentioned that I watched it three times including the alternate ending. And each time I got something different, I was moved in a new way, and I still feared for my black life.

It even makes you wonder where do missing Black people really end up. It is a social commentary and a racial reflection on who we are and who we have always been. So it gets my vote and I truly hope that the Oscars shocks me this time instead of doing what is predictable.