I have never seen a film so truly harrowing and nightmarish; honestly, watching this movie was a traumatic experience. Nonetheless, I loved every minute of it.
A Brief Synopsis
Oozing with hidden messages and secret symbols Us, directed, written and produced by the legendary Jordan Peele, depicts the Wilson family and the mysterious events that take place during their vacation in Santa Cruz, California.
Flashing back to the year 1986, a young girl is depicted wandering off on her own. As the thunderclouds roll in, she walks into the sand, and views an empty, open beach.
Finding an attraction just past the main pier, she decides to walk inside. As she moves through the labyrinth of mirrors, she discovers something so deeply terrifying. Her doppelgänger, a dead ringer, is staring back into her eyes.
The next scene shifts to present day, where the young girl is all grown up, mom to children Zora and Jason, and wife to Gabe. The Wilson family is headed to their vacation home, the same place where Adelaide saw her evil self many years ago. Apprehensive about returning to this godforsaken place, Adelaide’s husband Gabe attempts to assuage her fears.
Gabe believes that his wife’s reaction is overblown, for he just wants to enjoy a peaceful day at the beach with old family friends, the Tylers. However, their time was cut short, as several strange coincidences gave the families cues that it was time to call it quits for the day.
Seeking refuge in the comfort of their vacation home, the Wilson family seemed to believe they were safe. Until, Adelaide’s fears came to fruition when a set of doppelgängers lined up across the driveway; finally, Gabe came to the realization that he should’ve taken his wife’s warnings more seriously.
At this point in the film, the audience is bewildered. It was confusing in the very beginning as to why/how Adelaide’s evil twin even existed, let alone a family of four evil people standing opposite the actual family members.
The two groups of people are opposites in every way; Adelaide and Gabe are seen as doting parents to two loving children, whereas their doppelgängers lead lives of misery and torment, their appearance purely grotesque.
As the four demon twins terrorize their counterparts, the real Wilson family discovers that in each person on the planet exists a shadow self, having the sole purpose of murdering their equal. They are not alone, but their current situation just got a lot more grave.
In the end, the audience learns that when the two young girls met in the labyrinth of mirrors on the beach so long ago, they switched places. The one from the “Underground”, attacked and kidnapped the girl from the above, attempting to escape the enslavement of her life down below.
And so, the conclusion of the film may confuse the audience even more, for it is now difficult to say who the imposter and who is the victim; which, might’ve been Peele’s whole point.
Connections Established
Interestingly enough, director Jordan Peele paid homage to The Shining at several points throughout his film. As the Wilson family was driving through hilly forests to their vacation home in Santa Cruz, the scene is shot overhead, as in the viewpoint of a drone’s camera. A very similar scene is depicted in The Shining when the Torrance family makes their way to the Overlook Hotel.
Also, at one point in Peele’s film, Adelaide’s demon twin charges the camera with her weapon of choice, just as Jack Torrance did in The Shining with his ax.
Overall Theme
Jordan Peele wanted to spark conversation with the production of this film. Us is a depiction of the vicious cycle of oppression that citizens of this country who are considered “different” have long endured. The revelation of the film is that those who come from the Underground are just as capable of living normal lives, but the only thing separating “us” from “them” is society’s countless marginalized communities: chance and privilege.
Peele wants his audience to think about the themes and messages long after the final credits have rolled off of the screen, and in my opinion, he has definitely achieved his goals.