Us

THERE ARE SPOILERS!

Very rarely do I post a review on just one film on my blog. I usually post in threes. But Jordan Peele's "Us" has to be an exception. This is not a conventional thriller/horror/sci-fi movie but something far more intelligent and, as a consequence, far more nerve jangling. So very subtlety scary that the tension never lets up. How can "There's a family outside our house" be so terrifying? And the laughs (there are quite a few) are like a release of that tension.

One reviewer said that "you care about the family". Well I don't think we care, this is a typically dysfunctional and somehow unpleasant bunch. But we get to know them in the first part of the movie so that when they are in peril, we join their fright. So when they meet their own selves, their predicament  is reflected in all that follows.

The theme of duality takes pride of place. I don't pretend that I picked up half of what the director included, there were so many that were baffling. There are websites which describe many of these that leave me none the wiser. The Jeremiah 11:11 reference still seems strange. What is all this about "The Twilight Zone"? And "The Shining". I also missed the Black Flag t-shirts. There is one at the 1986 arcade whilst today, one of the Tyler twins (Becca Tyler played by Cali Sheldon) wears a black t-shirt with a white logo. The logo looks quite like 11 11.

I did get the references right at the beginning to "Hands Across America" and the "underground tunnels all across the country"; and that  both would have a major impact later in the movie. I did get the double meaning of the title, especially when in answer to Gabe's question about who they are,  Red croaks "We're Americans" meaning we are the same as you and deserve what you have. Now that is scary.

The things that are hardly ever mentioned in any reviews:
1. That this movie has a science fiction element. How else would we classify the doubles of the families (or as they are called reds or the the tethered).
2. The second homes. Not only did it seem obvious from the start that this was the biggest point of duality, and that the families would suffer as a result, but also that it emphasised the difference between the haves and have-nots.

There are more questions than answers:
1.Why has Jason's double have a facial disfigurement? I know it is something about the lighter he plays with. And the mask? Is it the same Jason or have they switched?
2. How did the double of Adelaide as a child meet her in the hall of mirrors at ground level when the tethered are all deep, deep underground? Is it just because she mirrored what Adelaide was doing and made the long trek up to the top?

Then we have the songs, of which there are few but each one has an important message. I didn't understand  "I Got 5 On It" but "Good Vibrations" was fun. And then the funniest bit in the film was when Kitty shouts "Call the police" and Ophelia (their home device controller) plays "F... tha Police". There is a whole level of modern culture that passed me by.

I suppose I should mention the acting. Whilst the whole cast is strong and buys into the whole concept, Lupita Nyong'o is superb and holds the movie together. Every good horror film should have a shock ending that leaves on an unsettling finale and this is no exception. This is a very clever and highly creative piece of cinema from a director on top of his game. Thanks Jordan.

P.S. I have now seen the film twice. Whilst the action scenes don't stand up to a second viewing, there are those moments which I missed first time around. The Thriller t-shirt being prize No 11, the gloves on the tethered, bits borrowed from other horror movies, Jason backing away etc. There are many websites which explain a lot better than I can. What did impress me second time was , knowing the story, how good was the acting, especially Lupita Nyong'o. She was brilliant.