Jordan Peele strikes again with Us, his latest horror film. Lupita Nyong'o stars as Addy Wilson, the matriarch of an upscale family that goes to the beach for a vacation. Addy has a wonderfully idyllic life that’s complete with a loving husband--Gabe--two happy, well-adjusted kids--Zora and Jason--and the disposable income required to take all the time they need to recharge at their summer home, which is just a short drive from the boardwalk of Santa Cruz (which is where Lost Boys was shot--a film that's referenced often here).
But the Wilson’s cheerful time at the beach is shattered by the arrival of a very weird family that literally shows up on their doorstep. Despite Gabe’s (well-played by Winston Duke) best efforts to scare them off, as well as Addy calling the police immediately, this creepy family breaks into their home and holds them all captive. And as if that wasn’t scary enough, these intruders ARE the Wilsons: they are doppelgangers of each member of the Wilson family.
Jordan Peele has said in interview on the DVD that he considers running into his doppelganger to be one of his most scariest nightmares, and he’s done a marvelous job at recreating this terror onscreen. The very notion that one’s everyday life could be interrupted by a stranger that looks just like you, and who wants to kill you so that they can take over your life, is pretty unsettling. And Peele wisely doesn’t limit this horror to just one family--as the film goes on, we find out that people everywhere are being attacked and killed by their doppelgangers, which explains why the cops never arrived when Addy first called them.
(There is one hysterically funny moment, where Peele makes fun of “smart” devices like Alexa, when he has one of his characters--who’s fighting off an assault--desperately ask a smart device named Ophelia to call the police. But Ophelia, mishearing, starts playing the NWA’s “Fuck The Police” instead. This was both a funny and very wry moment at the same time.)
Us has a compelling story that’s an original and fresh take on the tired zombie apocalypse tale. But Us also has a compelling message about the simmering attitudes between the haves and have-nots in this country. The fact that the doppelgangers feel compelled to reenact the “Hands Across America” stance is another wonderful zing by Peele at short-sighted people’s band-aid mentality to “solving” overwhelming problems within society. And Lupita Nyong'o really deserves to get an Oscar nod for her performance here--both of them. She gives a fantastic performance amidst an excellent cast.
Us is a refreshing blast of air for the horror genre--much like how last year’s Hereditary was--a movie that provides plenty of thrills and chills on the surface, but offers plenty of food for thought (as long as it’s not bunnies!) days after you’ve seen it. Us really resonates very strongly on so many levels that you need to watch it more than once. Don’t miss it. --SF
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