But like almost every moment of calm in the film, the scene is later revealed to be a big lie.

One of the most popular promotional images of the new horror-comedy film Get Out is that of a young black man staring straight at the camera.

Little details stand out about him if you look long enoughhes wearing a gray hoodie and T-shirt, theres a slight crease on his foreheadbut these are otherwise hard to really notice because of his eyes, which are wide and wet and red and give the unmistakable impression of a person frozen in pure, cold fear.

This is of course a testament to the excellent work of the actor, Daniel Kaluuya, who plays him.

But its also evidence of the films subtle obsession with ways of seeingwhether through cameras or through (literally) different pairs of eyes.

Part racial satire, Get Out follows Chris as he meets his girlfriends parents for the first time at their secluded home far from the city.

The girlfriend, Rose Armitage (played perfectly by Allison Williams), is white, and Chris is a little nervous about how her family will react despite her reassurances to him (Theyre not racists.

Throughout the film, the director Jordan Peele uses the sense of sight to amplify imbalances of power and controlimbalances often drawn along racial lines.

Get Out introduces viewers to him through his art: Before we even see Chris, were shown black-and-white prints of his work on the walls of his Brooklyn apartment in a sequence set to Childish Gambinos Redbone ( Now dont you close your eyes.).

Its the kind of collection that could be reasonably described as raw and honest, unpretentious snapshots of New York streets and the diverse range of people who spend time there.

The main plot quickly spins into motion as Chris and Rose set out on their trip, but in its first minutes Get Out has already established that Chriss professionhe is basically a trained observerwill be crucial to the rest of the story.

What he notices, and doesnt notice, will take on a life-or-death importance.

Chriss job is an excuse for him to bring his trusty DSLR with him to the Armitage residence.

Constantly slung around his neck, the camera functions as a kind of protective shield between Chris and the odd behavior he encountersnamely from the familys large group of white friends and neighbors, and their two black house-servants, Walter and Georgina.

The camera simultaneously creates distance and closeness between Chris and his subjects; its a way to both observe and to escape.

Its through this lens that Chris manages to spot another black person (Lakeith Stanfield) at one of the Armitages gatheringsbut when Chris goes to introduce himself, the other man turns around with a glassy, far-off stare and introduces himself as Logan.

In one pivotal scene, Chris tries to take a photo of the oddly dressed Logan to send to his friend, whos worried for Chriss safety.

But when the flash goes off it triggers a bizarre transformation: Logans expression turns to fear, his nose begins to bleed, and he launches at Chris, screaming, Get out It seems like an act of aggression, but Chris senses its something elseit isnt until later that he understands Logan was trying to save him.

It was hard not to watch that scene without thinking of how important camera phones and video recordings have been for many African Americans experiencing police violenceespecially in light of an earlier scene in which Chris is the apparent target of racial profiling by an officer.

Cameras, Get Out suggests somewhat plainly, have the power to reveal.

Its no coincidence that photographic evidence later provides Chris with his biggest clues as he tries to uncover the Armitage familys secrets.

During the Armitages big party, he wanders off with his camera and meets Jim Hudson, a white art dealer who is blind but who speaks glowingly of Chriss work.

At that point in Get Out, the encounter offers relief: Jim doesnt seem quite like the other white people at the party, and Chris relaxes visibly in his presence after being ogled at and appraised by the Armitages friends.

His relative comfort comes in part from Jims demeanor but also from Jims inability to actually see Chris; as a result, the once-heightened difference of his race is diminished, if not fully erased.

Get Out Script Analysis