Us, the latest horror film from Jordan Peele, brings a thought-provoking slasher flick with Peele’s trademark metaphorical touch to the screen.
Less of a political statement than Peele’s predecessor, Get Out, which was met with critical acclaim for its examination of race relations in 21st century America, Us recounts a family vacation gone wrong, where the family members must face the darkest version of themselves.
The film opens with a beautifully shot opening sequence of a wall of caged rabbits, evocative of a Kubrick film as the opening titles flash on screen. From there, we’re introduced to Adelaide Wilson, a young girl who goes venturing into an abandoned boardwalk hall of mirrors—there, her grinning evil twin, the main antagonist of the movie, awaits.
Us’s evil twins, named the Tethered, are explained to be an abandoned government experiment, where millions of clones are forced to live out barren mirror-lives of their counterparts, miming their every move in extensive underground tunnels. When their counterparts eat food, they eat rabbits alive; when their counterparts ride rollercoasters, they tremble uncontrollably in place.
That is until Adelaide’s Tethered counterpart is inspired to start a riot and lead the Tethered from the depths to hunt down and kill their lookalikes.
The film’s premise makes for a captivating dual performance by its actors—from the moment the evil family appears in the Wilsons’ vacation home driveway, their change in physicality is unnerving, causing a chilling tone shift to wash over the screen.
The film balances suspense with comedy primarily through the father, Gabe, played by Winston Duke. His witty commentary contrasts with Adelaide’s quiet attitude and evokes ironies used in Peele’s comedy career.
Lupita Nyong’o’s performance is one of the film’s biggest strengths. She pulls off one of the scariest horror villains in recent memory. Seriously—her jittery movements and bone-dry voice had the entire audience frozen in terror. There is something very inhuman about her delivery, and it works amazingly for the film.
As the family overcomes the threat of their counterparts, the movie wraps up its story with a couple of twists. Much of the film’s symbolism is left up for the audience to interpret, and the story comes to an open-ended stop once the credits roll around.
Audience members may feel confused with the ending, but Us is the type of film that demands a second viewing. The symbolism sprinkled throughout the film is practically impossible to grasp fully the first time viewing the film, as everything down to the rabbits carries a deeper meaning (the rabbits’ ears, Peele explains, remind him of a big pair of scissors—hence the Tethered’s main weapon).
The film tackles the duality of man by arguing that the darkest parts of us—the parts hidden away by society—will always truly be a part of who we are. We can hide them away for a while, but, if not acknowledged, Peele argues, they’ll come back to haunt us in ways only our darkest qualities can.
