Jordan Peele is one of the most successful and acclaimed filmmakers of the modern age. His work, both horror and comedy, consistently produces social commentary and makes viewers think about their own beliefs and ideologies. Starting off his career as an actor, Peele soon transitioned into writing, directing and producing his own movies. His debut, the horror-comedy Get Out (2017) earned him an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, making him the first African American to do so.
Since then, Peele has continued to make critically acclaimed titles, with a focus on horror movies that delve deeply into social issues ranging from racism, sexism and classism to terrorism and even the politics of the current day. Throughout his growing body of work, Jordan Peele has established himself as a thought-provoking horror-genre filmmaker that celebrates diversity and challenges conventional thinking.
Breakdown of Jordan Peele Movies
Get Out (2017)
Get Out (2017), Peele’s first full-length film, was a runaway success and ground-breaking work. The movie follows Chris Washington (Daniel Kaluuya), a young African American man visiting his white girlfriend’s family for the first time in isolated suburbia. What follows is a twisting plot involving mind control, racism, science fiction and horror. To many audiences, Get Out was a revelatory introduction to Peele’s talent as a social commentator and storyteller. Get Out grossed over $255 million worldwide and won a total of four Academy Awards, including an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay and indie mogul Peele became the first African-American to have a number one film in the US.
Us (2019)
Peele’s second major film was Us (2019). Rated at 95% by critics on Rotten Tomatoes, this psychological thriller serves as social commentary on everything from class inequality to the American dream gone wrong. The film stars Lupita Nyong’o as Adelaide Wilson, a woman who returns to the beach house she vacationed at when she was a child. Little does Adelaide know that her doppelgangers are coming after her family, to her horror and fear. Since its release, Us is a continued subject of discussion and interpretation, which was one of many goals Peele set out to accomplish when making the film.
A Twilight Zone Episodes
Peele is an executive producer of the 2019 reboot of the iconic Twilight Zone series, but he also narrates and occasionally writes and directs episodes. His haunting narration paired with the film’s themes of human curiosity and paranoia have made the series a success on CBS All Access streaming service. He wrote the episode, “Six Degrees of Freedom”, and directed two episodes, “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” and “You Might Also Like”. In addition to his own episodes, Peele has been praised for making the anthology series more politically charged and diverse than the original.
Social Commentary in Jordan Peele Movies
Social commentary has become a staple of the Jordan Peele filmography. Whether it’s Get Out’s look at racism in America, Us’s exploration of the American dream, or the Twilight Zone’s use of metaphor, Peele’s movies all contain an element of thought-provoking, socially critical analysis.
Get Out
Get Out is undoubtedly the movie that started it all, and as such, it has some of the most intentional, in-depth social commentary Peele has ever done. The movie uses horror and humor in equal measure to make its point. In Get Out, Peele questions the reality of modern-day “post-racial” society in the United States, notably tackling topics such as police brutality, the problem of stereotype-based assumption and the dynamics of interracial dating.
Us
Us further delves into the dark and complex world of social commentary as explored by Peele. While Get Out had more explicit explorations of racism, Us takes a look at wider class divisions and injustices. In this film, two doppelgangers, Adelaide and Red fight for survival, and exploring the dichotomy between Adelaide’s hugely privileged life and Red’s neglected one.
The Twilight Zone
Peele’s episodes of The Twilight Zone continue his streak of powerful, socially critical commentary. Each episode contains numerous metaphors and metaphors, a hallmark of Peele’s work and filmmaking style. The episode “Six Degrees of Freedom” is the perfect example, in which a group of astronauts on a space mission are confronted with the realities of climate change, and must make a fatal decision. The episode, “Nightmare at 30,000 Feet” examines the topic of terrorism and how people’s actions and beliefs can have far-reaching consequences.
Exploring Diversity in Jordan Peele’s Movies
When creating his movies, Jordan Peele does not shy away from exploring issues of diversity. In both Get Out and Us, he works hard to feature a range of diverse actors, both in terms of appearance and cultural backgrounds.
Get Out
In Get Out, the majority of the cast is African American, with a few white characters thrown in. Peele also made sure to cast an array of different actors who envision a modern multiracial America. Furthermore, the movie provides a stark contrast between the isolated world of the white family and the vibrant, multicultural lifestyle of the protagonist’s family and friends.
Us
Us follows in the same footsteps as Get Out in terms of showcasing diverse actors. The majority of the cast is again mainly African American, with several Asian and Middle Eastern actors also featured. With Adeline, the protagonist, Peele frames the movie’s narrative around a strong, successful black woman whose character is further explored and developed as the movie progresses.
Jordan Peele’s movies have captivated audiences and mainstream media alike due to their subtly stylish horror and thought-provoking social commentary. His goal has been to challenge conventional thinking, fight racism, and celebrate diversity – goals that certainly come to fruition in his ever-growing body of work. Get Out and Us are remarkable movies in their own right, but when paired with Peele’s Twilight Zone episodes and his body of work as a whole, it’s clear that he is a master filmmaker and storyteller, and one to watch for the foreseeable future.
