While doing my searching this week for Nope, I stumbled along this video of Jordan Peele himself breaking down what he believes the central theme of his movie “Nope” is.
Within this video he breaks down how he believes Nope to not just be about race, but to also be acknowledgement to the people who came before them in this industry. He speaks about how this movie could not have been made 5 years ago and it brings into question as a viewer if by simply existing are you defying stereotypes. Jordan Peele would say yes. He believes that this movie is defiance against norms in the film industry. By having this movie star mainly people of color while also being created by people of color, its credit scene alone is acknowledgment of the fact that they are pushing boundaries. Jordan Peele challenges us to go beyond thinking that this movie is strictly about what’s in front of our face and asks us to look deeper in the fact that every single characters role and meaning to the movie is a commentary on the film industry’s stereotypes and restrictions.
For him he feels as if this movie is a nod to all the black entertainers who have been snubbed while their white counterparts get the spotlight. Along with this theme he talks about how this movie isn’t just about spectacles and what we will do to see them, but also about what we will do to be seen. It’s a reminder that there is always someone behind the camera and what they went through to get the shot they desired should not be ignored. We see this continuously throughout the movie as they Em and Oj talk about wanting to get the shot for the money, they want the recognition that comes along with capturing something otherworldly on film. You also blatantly see it when the TMZ reporter asks to be filmed despite having broken numerous bones.
Finally he ends the video by saying he really hoped to have immersed people in the film, and that he wishes that everyone would have left the movie feeling as if they had been near a UFO because it is something so many of us have thought about before. Although he is unable to pinpoint one central theme, he highlights that no movie is really able to be summed up into one jist, there are multiple layers to every good movie. Whether it be about breaking stereotypes or immersing people fully into something genuinely horrifying,
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