How Jordan Peele makes films and why watch them

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

We analyze the director's films and advise what else to watch if you liked them.

How Jordan Peele became a master of horror

Before earning this reputation, Jordan Peele made a name for himself in stand-up and humorous sketches. First, he appeared in the comedy show "Mad Television", where he met future partner and permanent co-creator Keegan-Michael Key. Together, the comedians launched their sketch series on Comedy Central TV under the unpretentious title "Key and Peel", which consisted of short absurd sketches on a variety of topics.

Saw & Key's trademark humor is very different from what most viewers are used to. So, in their jokes there are almost no setups (introductory part that sets the context) and punchlines (decoupling). Most of all, this approach resembles the sketches of the British troupe "Monty Python", entirely built on the feeling of awkwardness due to the growing absurdity.

Often, comedians touched upon the topic of the relationship of black US residents with the white population. One of the most viral of their partners' careers was the Key & Peele - Obama Meet & Greet / Comedy Central / YouTube sketch about former President Barack Obama who greets colleagues differently depending on their skin color.

In parallel, Peel was working on the script for the film of his dreams. It is important to say here that Jordan is not just a born comedian. He grew up on genre cinema, including not only comedy but horror as well. So, among his favorite horror films, the director names Jordan Peele's Guide to Horror Films / WSJ. Magazine / YouTube pictures of 1986 "Critters" and "Fly". Also on his list are Rosemary's Baby (1968), The Stepford Wives (1975), The Shining (1980) and Misery (1990).

It was from these films that Jordan Peele borrowed frightening techniques, which he later used in his own work. Immediately after the release of Get Out, the director received the status of a rising star in the horror genre.

The work was very well received, especially in the United States, where it raised a huge cash register on a modest budget. The directorial debut was liked by both ordinary viewers and the professional press (at the time of this writing, the film has a 98% critical approval rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website). The film received four Oscar nominations, one of which won. By the way, Peel also broke a kind of "glass ceiling": he became the first black person in the history of the award, who won the award for the best original script.

The success of Get Out predetermined the director's further career as closely related to the horror genre. Peel directed another talented social horror film "We", wrote several episodes of the new "Twilight Zone", produced the series (alas, not the most remarkable) "Lovecraft Country" and worked on the script for Nia da Costa's horror film "Candyman".

Jordan Peele Unveils Title For Next Movie In Poster Reveal / Deadline is now known, as will be the name of Jordan Peele's next full-length project: Nope. It will be played by Daniel Kaluuya, with whom Peel already worked in Get Out, Minari star Steven Yang and Keke Palmer, best known for Scream Queens.

What are the characteristics of Jordan Peel's work?

Black heroes starring

Jordan Peel does not hide the fact that he prefers black actors. Because of this, his films are sometimes even called modern black exploitation (meaning pictures that were shot in the first half of the 70s with the expectation of winning the attention of a colored audience). Indeed, if you take the Saw film "We" as an example, all the main roles are played by African Americans. Moreover, the plot does not at all concern interracial relationships, and the main characters, despite the dark skin color, are well-fed, prosperous people from the middle class.

Contemporary American cinema seems to have taken a confident course towards diversity. But the true state of affairs in the industry is evidenced by the fact that mostly white actors are still in the foreground in major Hollywood blockbusters.

For the sake of fairness, we note that the situation with low-budget author's films or serials is a little different. But the studio is in no hurry to give roles in large projects to representatives of minorities. And Jordan Peele is one of the few influential people in Hollywood who has cast color actors in more than just racist dramas.

He explains his policy to Jordan Peele on Making Movies After ‘Us’: “I Don’t See Myself Casting a White Dude As the Lead” / The Hollywood Reporter simply:

I can't imagine a situation where I took a white guy for the lead role. It's not that I don't like white guys, but I've seen such films before.

Jordan Peele Director, screenwriter

Suspense built on a sense of paranoia

Jordan Peel is excellent at creating anxiety in the viewer. Behind the external decency, his heroes often hide something terrible.

When the protagonist of "Get Out" comes to meet the girl's parents, he fears that they will be racist. Instead, potential father-in-law and mother-in-law greet the guest with open arms.

Only now the feeling of a certain unnaturalness of what is happening still does not leave the character, and with him the audience. As it turns out, not in vain. It's all about the numerous details that hint: something is wrong here.

Let's see how it works with a specific example. At the very beginning of the film, the heroes accidentally knock down a deer in a car, which the protagonist sympathizes with from the bottom of his heart. And just a few minutes later, his girlfriend's father unravels an awkwardly long speech about how he hates these animals. Everything is presented as a joke, but the question arises: why a seemingly good person does not love such beautiful and innocent creatures?

Then the dialogue returns to normal and the viewer calms down. But soon the head of the family mentions in passing that black mold has started in the basement. This can be interpreted quite ambiguously, given the skin color of the guy with whom his daughter is dating.

Horror as a tool of social criticism

Peel's vision as a director was shaped by horror films, whose authors were occupied with a social agenda. Some of Jordan's favorite films are The Stepford Wives by Brian Forbes and Rosemary's Baby by Roman Polanski. In these paintings, the authors used various metaphors to show how society narrows down the role of women. In the first, the living girls in the story were literally replaced by robots, who were only interested in housekeeping. And in the second, the expectation of a child turned into a real hell for the heroine due to the total control over her body during pregnancy.

Another favorite of Peel is George Romero's classic horror film "Night of the Living Dead". This movie is interpreted in different ways. Most often, it is seen as hints of racism and social disunity. In the story, an African American hides in a house with a white girl. It is difficult to say what the heroine fears more: the fact that dead people who have risen from the graves are wandering around, or that she has to be alone with a black guy.

In his debut Get Out, Peel explores the contemporary attitudes of white US citizens towards blacks. Moreover, the object of criticism of the director was not at all aggressive racists, but the educated liberal elite. These people assure that they voted for Obama twice, but hide veiled intolerance behind forced smiles. They still rate others according to their race.

In We, the director shifts the focus from African American issues to oppression of the poorest segments of society in general. The main characters are so used to their privileges that they don't even notice the people who have suffered more. And one night, marginalized disadvantaged people appear without warning in their ideal backyard.

References to the film culture of the past

In his work, Jordan Peele winks at many directors. And more often these are more gestures of respect than direct references.

For example, the sinister twins from the movie "We" are reminiscent of the ghosts of the sisters from "The Shining" by Stanley Kubrick. From there, Jordan Peel borrowed the stylish bluish credits for Get Out. And the scene in which a black guy is kidnapped by someone wearing a Templar helmet is a clear allusion to the mask of Mike Myers, the killer maniac from the movie "Halloween" by John Carpenter. And there are many more similarities to be found.

What films to watch at Jordan Peel

Away

• USA, Japan, 2017.
• Thriller, horror, detective, comedy.
• Duration: 104 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

Talented black photographer Chris Washington is on his way to meet the relatives of his white girlfriend Rose. Her father and mother - neurosurgeon Dean and psychiatrist Missy - welcome the guest surprisingly cordially and warmly. But behind their smiles and hugs lies a dark secret.

Jordan Peele took the popular Meet the Parents plot and put it through a black comedy and horror filter.

The genius of Get Out is that it turns the stamps inside out. Here is a vivid example of such a postmodern game: in the film there is a secondary character whose only purpose, at first glance, is to make the audience laugh. But in the end, this hero turns out to be the main voice of reason in the plot.

Jigsaw's inventive and witty approach forces the viewer to be torn between opposite emotions: fear and fun.

We

• USA, China, Japan, 2019.
• Thriller, horror, detective, comedy.
• Duration: 116 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

In 1986, as part of the Hands Across America charity event, Americans, hand in hand, line up in human chains to help the hungry. At this time, little Adelaide walks in the amusement park in Santa Cruz with her parents. There she wanders into the theme attraction "Find yourself", where she meets her exact copy.

More than 20 years later, the heroine with her husband and two children returns to the same coast. A little later, in the courtyard of their family beach house, they see people who look like their counterparts. The strangers are not at all peaceful and, without thinking twice, begin to hunt for the main characters.

This time, Peel lashed out at the hypocrisy of the progressive public and ridiculed charities that do not actually address the real problems of poverty, inequality and discrimination.

The title of the picture (eng. Us) can be understood as an abbreviation for the United States (eng. United States). The director seems to be hinting at the need to unite the whole country to address pressing issues.

What else to see if you liked Jordan Peele's films

Guess who's coming to dinner?

• USA, 1967.
• Tragicomedy, drama.
• Duration: 108 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

USA, mid 60s. A young couple is going to meet the bride's parents. It seems like a common situation, but the girl is white and her fiancé is African American. The heroine's father devoted his whole life to the struggle for the rights of blacks. But, ironically, even such an advanced person finds it difficult to come to terms with the fact that his daughter is going to marry one of them.

Stanley Kramer directed one of the most provocative films of his time. In the same year, the US officially lifted the ban on interracial marriage, but the audience still perceived the tape as a challenge to social norms. It was Kramer who first dared to show in a Hollywood film (albeit only through the rearview mirror) the kiss of a black man and a white girl, and indeed to touch on the topic of relationships and marriage between races.

It was this work that Jordan Peel took as a basis for "Get Out." Only his protagonist no longer has to deal with an open manifestation of prejudice, like John from "Guess …". Nevertheless, the events of "Get Out" well show that different skin color still confuses people, although they have learned to better hide their feelings. But more than 50 years have passed since the premiere of Kramer's film.

Key to all doors

• USA, 2005.
• Horror, thriller.
• Duration: 104 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 5.

The compassionate girl Caroline is committed to helping the weak. She takes a job as a nurse for an elderly disabled person who lives with his wife in an old mansion in the swamps of Louisiana. The heroine is given a key that can be used to open any door in the house, except for one - in the attic.

This mystical thriller is often compared to Get Out (if you watch both pictures to the end, you will understand why). The best moment in the film is the brilliant finale, which completely changes the viewer's view of the characters and their actions.

Little red dress

• UK, 2018.
• Horror, comedy, detective.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 2.

Divorced bank teller Sheila buys an elegant red dress. At first, the girl is sure that the change of image will help her find the man of her dreams. But, having put on a thing, he understands: the outfit brings only bad luck.

Peter Strickland has managed to make a stylish movie at the intersection of horror and black comedy. Here, as in his other works (The Duke of Burgundy, Berberian Recording Studio), the director copies the features of old European horror films, in particular the Italian horror films of the 1960s with a rich visual content - Giallo.

In "Dress" he does it in a fascinating, but peculiar way: so, in the middle of the tape, the narrative switches to other characters without any warning. Perhaps this explains the relatively low viewership rating of the picture.

Antebellum

• USA, 2020.
• Thriller, drama.
• Duration: 125 minutes.
• IMDb: 5, 7.

Black writer and activist Veronica Henley is mysteriously caught during the American Civil War and becomes a slave on a plantation. She needs to figure out what is happening and break out of this nightmare.

The film by Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz was released under the auspices of the production team, Get Out and We. The debutant directors are still far from Jordan Peele's inimitable presentation, but if you want to see something even remotely similar in anticipation of his new feature film, Antebellum is quite suitable.