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Director: Jordan Peele 

Lead Cast: Daniel Kaluuya as Chris Washington 

Supporting Cast: Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, Stephen Root, LaKeith Stanfield, Lil Rel Howery, Betty Gabriel, Marcus Henderson 

Writer: Jordan Peele 

Producers: Jason Blum, Edward H. Hamm Jr., Sean McKittrick, Jordan Peele 

Genre: Psychological Horror, Daytime Horror, Thriller 

Language: English 

Date of Release: February 24, 2017 (USA) 

Awards

2018 Academy Awards 

Nominations: Best Picture, Best Director (Jordan Peele), Best Actor (Daniel Kaluuya), and Best Original Screenplay (Jordan Peele)

Won: Best Original Screenplay (Jordan Peele) 

Setting (Place and Time): Upstate New York, present day 

Foreshadowing: Early in the film, Chris and Rose hit a deer while driving to her parents’ house. This incident foreshadows the later revelation of the Armitage family’s sinister practices and their “hunt” for young, virile Black bodies. 

Major Conflict: Chris Washington uncovers the Armitage family’s horrifying secret of transplanting the consciousness of rich white people into young Black bodies. They do this via a combination of hypnosis and a “transmutation” procedure invented by the Coagula cult. 

Rising Action: After arriving at his girlfriend's family home, Chris grows increasingly uneasy as he observes the eerie behavior of the Armitage family’s Black servants and has a series of unsettling interactions with Dean, Missy, Jeremy, and their guests. Beneath their forced politeness, casual racism and invasive comments build tension long before the family’s true intentions are revealed.

Climax: Chris discovers the Armitage family’s sinister intentions—to auction his body to the highest white bidder, trap his consciousness in the Sunken Place, and allow the bidder to take control of his body and mind. As he attempts to escape, Missy hypnotizes him and Dean and Jeremy carry him to the basement, where they plan to peform the Coagula procedure.

Falling Action: Chris fights his way out of the Armitage household, confronting and maiming or killing each family member, and ultimately escapes with the help of his friend Rod as the house burns in the background. 

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