Body Snatchers: Parasitic Monsters in Film

Get Out (2017)

Jordan Peele's directorial debut Get Out addresses the different forms that racism takes in our country. In this film, the protagonist, Chris, meets his girlfriend's parents. Despite her parents taking every opportunity to attempt to convince Chris that they are "progressive" and that they do not care that he is black, they are actually planning to perform a brain transplant to the highest bidder, selling him off for profit.

The action of white people occupying black bodies may be a representation of white appropriation of black culture. Despite the Armitage family appearing to be accepting at first glance, they demonstrate that explicit racists are not the only threats that minorities face. Even self-described "liberals" are capable of racism. 

Another central theme in Get Out is the sexualization of black bodies. Many of the people bidding for the chance to have a brain transplant with Chris are looking to occupy his body because they envy his athleticism, appearance, or his artistic ability.  These characters do not see Chris as a being with agency, but rather as an empty husk, ready for them to occupy.

This page has paths:

This page references: