It's one of the grimmest takes on the age-old theme of the double or döppelganger -- here, one's replacements stand, zombie-like, at the edge of one's driveway, waiting for their moment, baseball-bats in hand. But it begins, as do so many tales of doubling, with a single uncanny moment, when Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) encounters her double in (where else?) a house of mirrors at a carnival. The mirrors provide an apt scene, but also introduce the critical element of doubt: could it all just be in her head?
We fast-forward to adult Adelaide, still haunted by this childhood trauma, on vacation with friends. She's still cautious about large public places, and the beach is no resort for her, especially after she catches a glimpse of a man on a stretcher carried by paramedics, and -- soon after -- a seeming double of that man, bloodied and strange.
And then the fun begins: the lurking menacing mute gathering of the döppelgangers, a little closer to home in each shot. When they come, their resemblance becomes still creepier; we see them mimic the actions of their 'originals,' but in a weirdly clumsy manner. Then the killing begins.
We learn that these doubles are the "tethered" -- creatures linked to those they so resemble, and seeking to free themselves by killing the originals and severing the ropes that tie them to them. It's a strange sort of linkage in which -- at least in one sense -- their murderous rampages are almost a cry for freedom. Adelaide, of course, is the only one who really understands all this, and it's her struggle -- and her final battle with her own tethered replicant -- that brings the film around to its final denouement.
So what does Us add to the long tradition of doubles? Are its concept of the "tethered" and its "science experiment" explanation any different from the usual suspects? And is its ending somehow creepier or more meaningful than that of earlier such tales? And do you sense the political undertones of this film, perhaps agreeing with Jordan Peele that, untimately, "all horror films are political"? (see his interviews here and here).
Your thoughts here.
Us is a great film and reminds me of the first story we read this semester, The Shadow. When Adelaides 'clone' responds to the question 'Who are you people?' by saying they are Americans it gives the notion that the movie has a political tone.
ReplyDeleteUs is a great film and reminds me of the first story we read this semester, The Shadow. When Adelaides 'clone' responds to the question 'Who are you people?' by saying they are Americans it gives the notion that the movie has a political tone. -Chris McCarthy
DeleteMy thoughts are that this movie was terrifying to watch. I did not like a single thing about it and it creeped me out. The end where Jason was looking at his mom strangely when the viewer was expecting a better reaction did get me thinking, until it all made sense at the end where the truth was revealed. The ending is definitely creepier than earlier tales. I did sense the political undertone when the speaker was asked to call the police and instead it played "F*** the Police."
ReplyDeleteI really liked this movie! I think there is a deeper meaning to a lot of the things that occurred in the movie. I agree with the other comments, that there is a political under tone to the movie itself. It reminded me of a lot of the issues that are going on in our world today. I think it says for itself that we take a lot of things for granted in our world, and having the twins come and take over proves that through out the movie.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a coincidence, my mom told me to watch this about four days ago and now we have a discussion on it. I really liked the film considering I don't like scary movies but the meaning behind it was what got me. The "girl" getting everything she wanted while her shadow gets the bad end of the stick. This shows that people do take certain things for granted especially in America.
ReplyDeleteThis film brought a lot of mixed feelings, especially with the ending completely making me rethink the plot of the movie. There is a sense of political undertones in this movie as well, with the "tethered" representing underprivileged, and we're forgotten by the government and having to fight for their food, and how many people take everyday things that for granted. - Catarina Oliveira
ReplyDeleteThis movie has excellent sound design to me. Good sound is essential to a horror movie, but Peele uses it in a special way. He has a good use music as well. Using the song ‘I Got 5 On It’ and twisting it into a climatic finale battle is fantastic. The Tethered have a particular sound to them with unique instruments and tone. I talk about this a lot in my midterm paper so I won’t ramble about it too much here.
ReplyDelete- Jamie Hartley
DeleteI thought the movie was amazing. There are many intricate things going on in the film that really grabs your attention. There is much more here than meets the eye. the film takes a simple concept and transforms it into one of your greatest nightmares never been told. the story-telling unravels with timing that is uncanny, through metaphors that, at first, may seem confusing and complex but in reality are quite simple. - Jamie Chaca
ReplyDeleteThis movies was incredible , it had so many twists and turns . Throughout the entire movie I was fearful for the “real family”. I was confused as to why only the “fake “ mom could speak and the rest of the “fake” family couldn’t speak. It was a shock to see that the “real” mom was actually the fake one. It shows how we have such control over our minds that we can suppress something so deeply that we can’t even remember it happened.
ReplyDeleteAmy Freestone- I liked this movie. Although it makes you wonder how many families this already happened to in their world already and they were just next by being killed and replaced by the clones. Also relating to our world it makes me think; how do we know if there really isn't clones out there. For all we know we could be a clone and have no idea. I have watched a movie (forgot name) about a guy and he didn't know he was a clone until the end.
ReplyDeleteI remember seeing this movie awhile back so having the chance to see it again really made me feel more intrigued and even more scary that I though the first time. The way the movie kept the suspended was a great addition to the audience. Having a clone leads to a million questions especially during the last scene when I thought everything was back to normal but I was definitely wrong. To me it seems like a clone is a another version of yourself which can portrayed as an expected version or a reality version.
ReplyDelete- jamie chaca
DeleteUs is a great film, however I will admit it took a second for me to understand Jordan Peele's vision for this film. His subtly and message delivery is brilliant. I don't think that movies should spoon-feed their themes but instead make you think. If I had one criticism it would be that I wished we spent more time getting to know the tethered. I would've love to understand Red as character, since she is different from the other tethered.
ReplyDeleteI thought the film was great! I remember seeing it back in the movie theaters when it first came out and my opinions are still the same. This was a perfect movie for Jordan Peele to follow up after "Get Out." It was creepy and ominous and had an amazing twist to it at the end that I did not see coming at all. This movie and all of Peele's other movies always have a great underlying message that he doesn't throw in people's faces. Seeing it a second time allowed me to refresh my memory on it and also helped me point out little details that I didn't notice the first time since I had already known of the events that were going to happen in the movie. After seeing the trilogy of Jordan Peele's movies, I cant wait to see what he comes up with next!
ReplyDeleteI didn't really like the movie. I'm not one for scary movies and I found it creepy. It definitely was creepier than our other readings this past semester. I don't think I was pulled in very quickly and it felt like the movie to forever to start getting good so I was very uninterested. I could see some of the political undertone but I was more focused on the story itself. -Emily Johnson
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I really did not understand the movie at all. I had to watch TikTok videos of people talking about the movie and all the hidden gems. Once I had all the information I needed about who the "tethered" were and the idea behind the whole thing then it started to make sense. Overall, the concept behind the movie is actually really cool and crazy to think how someone even thinks of such things. - Prescilla da fonseca
ReplyDeletewow! how can they think of this fantastic, no person could think of it. I couldn't stop to think where am I from. Is me is me? Where the origin of people come from. In these two days, the terrified thing happened in Main. Why Robert Card killed people? What's in his mind? It's terrified.
ReplyDeleteHonestly I've always loved this movie because it would always leave you wondering how that story even became but also the twist at the end changes everything. Then for them to go back and forth showing the switch, it's crazy because how'd the parents not notice and just think trauma. Just rewatching it you learn more about the plot.
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