The Auteur Theory was developed by French cinephiles in the 1940s and 50s according to

Wallis

. This theory suggests that the director is the main creative factor to a film and

demonstrates the director’s outward perspective of the world. This theory came to be due to the

practice of French film makers writing or co-writing the films they directed.

Alexandre and other cinephiles of the times, considered and Auteur to be a director who used

film as a medium for personal expression and transforms the material provided into something

unique to them. This theory has understandable reasoning, but according to Pauline Kael it

completely dismisses the other roles of filmmaking that contribute to the overall production of a

film. Even still, Auteur Theory is a respected in film research.

Jordan Peele is an American actor and filmmaker known for comedy and horror. His films

discuss relevant issues within American culture through film. Peele’s breakout film was in 2017

with the film Get Out. In the following years, Peele released more films that highlighted Black

stories with BlacKKKlansmen in 2018 and US in 2019. Peele’s film style can be described by his

narrative structure, aesthetics and visual style, and his use of comedy and fear to tell the stories

of Black Americans.

Peele’s narrative structure is common throughout his film. Instead of telling a story from

beginning to end in chronological order, Peele has a tendency to start in the middle of a story and

then start from the beginning. In 2017 film Get Out, Andre Logan, played by LaKeith Stanfield,

is shown in the opening scene. In this part of the film not only do we get an understanding of the

Black experience, but a look at where the film is going from this point. Andre Logan is not

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revisited until later in the story after the lead, Chris Washington has already becoming suspicious

of his girlfriend’s family and their racist behavior. Andre furthers his suspicions when he breaks

from the Armitage’s hypnosis. In the film Us, from 2018, Peele begins to tell the story with a

reference to an aspect of the story the audience does not fully understand yet. Peele starts his

films by giving viewers a small piece of the story and then connects this information later into

the film.

Jordan Peele’s visual style is realistic. His films stay true to reality in many ways. For example,

both Get Out and Us move at relatively slow paces. This something not often seen in films and

especially not in the horror and comedy genres. These are typically fast paced films that escalate

exponentially. In Peele’s films the story feels true to nature. The characters within his movies

react rationally with any given obstacle trying their best to survive. Jordan even states “

The

trick was to make sure that nothing so crazy happened so fast that [the audience]

wouldn’t believe the characters would stay in this situation.” This can be seen in Get

Out when Chris has experienced multiple questionable occurrences at his girlfriend’s

family estate. As the movie progresses, no one can fault Chris for staying with Rose,

because he had no need to doubt her and no proof to fear the Armitage family. This

realistic take on horror can also be seen in Us when parents Red and Gabe fight to

protect their family. Not only do these moments seem realistic, but they allow space

for comedic commentary from the characters that makes sense.