We at Substream absolutely love Get Out. From the excellent script to the delicious scares to the inflammatory social commentary on American racism, this easily ranks among our favorites of 2017 so far with very little chance of it falling far in the rankings by year’s end. But one thing has lingered in our minds ever since the Blu-ray release of the film was announced: the film’s alternate ending. The film’s canonical ending felt like such a cathartic way to end such a traumatic story that it was difficult to imagine how writer-director Jordan Peele could have conceived any different conclusion. Well, we’ve seen the alternate ending, and we’re here to give you the scoop.
[Note that from here on out we’re getting into spoiler territory for both the film itself and for the alternate ending, so if you would like to experience either firsthand prior to reading further, Get Out will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on May 23.]
The scene opens on Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) choking his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) in the street. Unlike the final version, though, Chris ends up choking Rose to death, who passes with a smile on her face in satisfaction that she has won. Why? Because sirens can be seen lit off-screen, and instead of Rod (Lil Rel Howery) showing up for a fake-out, police officers actually do come to arrest Chris.
Fade to black, and then fade back in six months later. Rod visits Chris in prison, begging Chris to cooperate with his investigation to prove Chris’s innocence and expose the white cult that had been abducting black people. However, Chris knows that he’s victim to a rigged system and has made peace with the good he has done, even as he suffers an unjust punishment. The film closes with Chris walking back to his cell in the company of a guard.
In the director’s commentary, Peele explains that this was the originally intended ending and was shot during the Obama era as a reaction against the notion that our culture had moved beyond race. However, in light of how vastly the world has changed in light of certain political events, Peele opted to leave his audience on an uplifting note of heroism on Rod’s part, bringing catharsis to people in a time when a dose of reality would only be preaching to a disgruntled choir. Personally, I think that was the right call, and I doubt that this version of Get Out would have left people quite as satisfied, at least if it wanted to build a reputation as a crowd-pleaser. That being said, the original take is the social commentary equivalent of a sucker punch that would have likely caused just as much of a stir, if not more of one.
What are your thoughts? Was catharsis the way to go, or do you prefer Jordan Peele’s original brutal vision? Share your opinions in the comments section below.
