Get Out, Queen & Slim: A Content Analysis of How Race is Portrayed in Two Mainstream Hollywood Films

This paper analyzes how African-Americans and race are portrayed in two mainstream Hollywood films: Get Out (2017) and Queen & Slim (2019). The goal was to compare emerging themes to what previous literature indicates about the portrayal of African-Americans and race in mainstream films and representation on-screen and behind-the-scenes in Hollywood. Previous literature suggests that African-Americans are often placed in stereotypical and limiting roles and that this is in part due to the lack of diversity behind-the-scenes. A content analysis along with open-source coding revealed racial solidarity as the key emerging theme throughout both films. A theme that was also challenged in Queen & Slim, resulting in a more complex race narrative. Findings suggest that African-Americans are being portrayed in more complex roles and that race in film reflects societal constructions of it. In other words, the portrayal of race in these films mirrors African-American’s lived experiences and the way race is portrayed in American society. I believe the diverse, predominantly black production team, plays a role in portraying race with more nuance and African-Americans with more complexity