On March 22nd, a new film, Us, premiered in cinemas. There was much anticipation for this film because it is written, directed, and produced by Jordan Peele. Peele is a well-known and successful professional in the entertainment industry. The first film he directed, Get Out, was released to critical acclaim, which soon received a 99% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and won and was nominated for numerous awards. This was evidently the reason behind all the excitement for the premiere of Us.
My personal expectations for the film were met, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. At first, I was anxious because from the trailer, the filmed seemed more horror than thriller. As the movie progresses, It becomes obvious that the horror aspect is more subtle while the theme of thriller and mystery comes into focus. This was when it started getting more interesting and mind tricking.
*WARNING: May Contain Spoilers Below*
The question that becomes prominent when the plot starts to gain momentum is how were the doppelgängers of the main characters created and for what reason were they created? Though the prior is not directly answered, its heavily hinted that the second versions, who called themselves the “Tethers”, of the characters were failed clones of a secret government experiments that took place in unoccupied underground tunnels across the United States. The process of making these clones was not explicitly shown, but they were acknowledged as failures because although the citizens’ physical appearances were perfectly copied, their souls were not. This was what caused them to go insane and kill their human counterparts.
This all comes down to: what was the message Peele was trying to portray with the idea of humans having wicked doppelgängers? It’s been recognized that the scissors the clones possessed to murder the humans symbolized the duality of the world and a whole is made up of two parts. These two parts can be described as a human and their evil side. Another significant message Peele portrayed through this amazing film was how the United States tends to disregard the troubles of minorities in society. The minorities could have been seen as people of color, since the main cast crew consisted of Black actors, or the Tethers may have referred to the ones who are living in poverty in America. Whether it be the prior or the latter, the importance of this portrayal still stands when discussing the major aspects of the film.
Us was both entertaining and reflective. It included both the suspense and thrill that is essential for movies of the genre, but it also had many themes of significance. Overall, I believe the film deserves positive reviews and many awards in the future. It was a work that I thoroughly enjoyed and also helped me question if the society I live in is truly faultless.
Amanda See
Tags: arts & entertainment, entertainment, Jordan Peele, movie, movie review, Peele, redwood high school, redwood journalism, review, visalia ca
