Spoilers ahead forUs.
For the most part, movies are not puzzles. They may have mysterious aspects that lead to an answer, but if your movie just asks you to “solve” it, then the film dies upon its resolution. A far more interesting and lasting picturedoesn’t ask for solutions,but instead looks for interpretations.When it comes toJordan Peele’snew movie,Us,I can understand the temptation to solve how the doubles work, how they relate to the people above ground, and so forth. But these questionsmiss the more interesting and engaging subtext the doubles convey.
The text of the doublesis ultimately unsatisfying because it just leads to more questions. The “how” of it is pretty basic. There was a government program where everyone got a double and these doubles lived underground in tunnels. These doubles were created to control the above-ground population, althoughhow this was supposed to happen is never explained.The doubles lived off rabbits (a food source known for its vast replication) and then the program was abandoned. They were given a new purpose by “Red” (Lupita Nyong’o),who led an uprisingwhere everyone was set to kill their double and then join hands across America,inspired by the real 1986 benefit event, “Hands Across America”.
A family’s serene beach vacation turns to chaos when their doppelgängers appear and begin to terrorize them.
Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ Gives More Questions Than Answers
Of course, this just raises more questions. How did they feed the rabbits? Where did they get their clothes? Where did they get the scissors? And even if these questions had answers, they would be unsatisfying because the text, itself,is a rabbit hole that doesn’t lead to the more interesting aspects of the film, which is the subtext presented by the doubles.
We’re told that the tethered don’t have souls, but I don’t think it’s as simple as “everyone’s dark side”. Rather,it’s the darkness we choose to ignore. It’s not simply a matter of inverses. It’s not like sociopaths have well-rounded people wandering the tunnels. So why have it uniform?Because it’s far more terrifying that our individuality is an illusionand that there’s nothing special about our brutality. Furthermore, if the doubles are soulless, then they can’t know individuality.However, they’re still tethered to us.Their actions are tied to ours, which isn’t explained.Again, any explanation would probably be unsatisfying, but they don’t get any of the benefit of our uniqueness,regardless of the fact. They live sad, hollow lives, and it’s hard to blame them for being a little stabby.
Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ is a Social Statement
you may also look atthe various social reads on this.It doesn’t seem to really work as a slavery or indentured servitude metaphor, because the doubles don’t produce anything and no one seems to rely on their labor. Instead,I see a parallel in how we let our dark sides out. In our interpersonal relationships, we keep things polite and cordial. But in our anonymity – that is, the uniformity that denies the doubles any individuality– we lash out. And just as the doubles rise and link hands across America, so too are webecoming far more comfortable expressing hatred and violenceand letting that darkness unite us. This can be evidenced by any social media commentary.
‘Us’ Blu-ray Details Promise Six Deleted Scenes & a Bounty of Behind-the-Scenes Features
Jordan Peele’s horror hit heads to home video in June.
There will be thosewho get hung up on the “how” ofUs, but the “why” is far more interesting.Additionally, while we can critique Peele for what he doesn’t do,we shouldn’t miss what he is doing.If he chooses not to paint inverse personalities for the doubles, thenwe should look at why he chooses to make them largely uniformwith only minor variations. InUs, our dark sides are not a fully realized totality. Instead,they are a potent but fractional part of ourselves.The fear comes if we let them out and run wild.
Usis available for streaming on Netflix in the U.S.
Watch on Netflix
