By Katie Healy

What would happen if the underclasses, the underrepresented and the underprivileged rose up against the upper class in an act of revenge? This is what filmmaker Jordan Peele describes as “The American Nightmare” and it serves as one of several underlying messages in his new film, Us (Peele, 2019). The film has garnered lots of anticipation, being the follow up to Peele’s initial hit, Get Out. Once again, he’s made social commentary by means of the horror genre while integrating several moments that showcase his staple comedic tone. It is equally funny as it is terrifying which makes it all the more enjoyable to see in a theatre.

The film starts off strong by flashing text on the screen, harrowing facts about the tunnels that exist underground. This is followed by a lighthearted but creepy commercial that aired in 1986 about ending hunger in America. Things begin to pick up speed as we witness the build up to a traumatic childhood event experienced by the film’s protagonist, Adelaide Wilson (Madison Curry). Curry’s performance combines with Mike Gioulakis’ cinematography to create an intriguing protagonist and start to the film that makes you want to keep watching. The camera stays low to the ground, creating the illusion that the adults and carnival rides surrounding young Adelaide tower over her; like a funhouse mirror. The suspense comes to a crux when Adelaide is face to face with her sinister look-a-like in a room full of mirrors. The creepy encounter set the tone for the entire film.

Unfortunately, the narrative loses momentum after the exciting initial scenes. It lacks the organic flow of Get Out and the middle of this film lacks the intensity that we saw in the beginning. I noticed several audience members whispering to one another, trying to decipher the meaning of certain images during a scene. Often, they were unable to understand the meaning before the next scene which was equally full of codes that were tough to crack. However, the film made up for this in the quality of its entertainment. All of the main supporting actors gave notable performances. Gabe Wilson (Winston Duke) and Zora Wilson (Shahadi Wright Joseph) provide both comedic relief and dynamic character traits that make them interesting to watch. Lupita Nyong’o gave an exceptional performance as both the aloof and subdued Adelaide and the twisted and frightening Red.

Several pieces of heavy content fight for the spotlight in this film. We are introduced to a conspiracy theory about the tunnels beneath America and the government duplicating people in an attempt to control the populace. Peele links the Reagan and the Trump presidencies by jumping back and forth in time and on top of all this, there’s the twist ending. It is a lot to digest and Us could be a film that certain audiences are unable to wrap their heads around. The good thing about this is that different aspects of the film can resonate with different people and multiple new ideas and concepts can be taken away from a viewing of Us.

The aspect of the film that resonated with me the most was the reflection imagery and what it says about America. The symbol 11:11 spans the entirety of the film. Whether it be the time on a clock, the score of a baseball game, or a disturbing bible verse. The symbol is a reflection of itself, as are the tethered and the real versions of the Wilsons. The reflection imagery and the narrative content of the film evoke meaning about the relationship between upper and lower class Americans. People belonging to the upper class are able to empathize with those who go hungry and have less than they do because they are able to see themselves in those who suffer, like a reflection. However, this empathy is never enough to bridge the gap between the classes. The Wilsons represent those who live comfortably on top, while the tethered family represents the often unseen misfortune that exists at the bottom.

The “real” Wilson family often refers to the tethered family as “them”. There are only a couple of instances where they call them “us”. Peele seems to be commentating on the idea that many upper class Americans, although they empathize with the lower class, detach themselves from those who are less fortunate and don’t necessarily consider them a part of the group that they would put themselves in. When the Wilsons ask the tethered family who they are Red answers, “We’re Americans”. This chilling line draws on the idea that the upper and lower classes in America are in fact all Americans.

Everyone, no matter their class, where they’re from, or what they look like, they are all us. We are all supposed to be united, like the creepy commercial at the beginning of the film suggests we are. Except we aren’t. The Wilsons keep track of their “kill count” as they fight against the tethered and the audience cheers them on while they do it. When you think about it, it’s similar to how Americans act today. We fight against and kill ourselves and constantly act in a state of “us” vs. “them”. Peele seems to be making a plea to end this madness in a twisted way by forcing America to take a good hard look in the mirror. After watching the movie and taking some time for deep reflection, you may begin to wonder if you were rooting for the wrong people.

The fear surrounding the uprising of those who are oppressed is something that Jordan Peele works with in this film. However, the reflection imagery seems to say that we should help those who are similar to us or in this case, those who are lower class Americans. The 1986 commercial talks about ending hunger in America. This film doesn’t seem to be commentating on issues like immigration, unless it is looping undocumented immigrants in with the tethered. It doesn’t engage with issues, such as hunger, outside of America. Jordan Peele has already taken on the very ambitious topic of socioeconomic disparity in this country so it’s understandable that his sole focus was America however, it’s important to question the reflection imagery and what it’s really saying.

Once audiences are able to realize what Peele is doing, it’s hard to decide who the antagonist in the film truly is. This is perpetuated by the shocking ending and the tethered people dressed in red, holding hands and stretching across America, mirroring the 1986 commercial. At the film’s conclusion, the tethered are united while America remains at odds. Us works as a film that can exist simply to entertain or it can serve as a deep reflection on America if you are willing to work your way through a pile of images and big ideas that are either a hit or a miss when executed in the film.