"Us" is director Jordan Peele's first return to directing since his 2017 breakout hit "Get Out" which earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Like "Get Out," "Us" is a psychological horror film that plays on audiences fears with subtle jabs rather than outright jump scares. "Us" leaves one with more questions than answers and a sense of disorientation that lasts for some time after leaving the theatre.
"Us" tells the story of the story of the Wilson family who has their summer vacation home invaded my murderous doppelgängers of themselves referred to as the "tethered." They later find out doppelgängers have invaded the majority of the United States that are murdering their counterparts as well.
Many theories are circulating the internet about what the underlying "meaning" of "Us" is supposed to be. A common detraction is the "tethered" being a representation of the working class, who are often ignored, rising up to take their place in society. Red, doppelgänger of Wilson family matriarch Adelaide, says "We are Americans," when asked by Adelaide who she is. A line that has been noted by several critics as being a little too on-the-nose.
"We are our own worst enemy, not just as individuals but more importantly as a group… We are afraid of the shadowy, mysterious 'other' that's gonna come and kill us and take our jobs and do whatever, but what we're really afraid of is the thing we're suppressing: our sin, our guilt, our contribution to our own demise," Peele said in an interview with the Guardian.
The film has an overarching theme of duality that can be perceived through many different lenses. Themes of race, class, and religion are obvious, but it seems that Peele simply wanted to make a film that would act as a mirror. The themes you find in "Us" are probably related to whatever fears or guilt you find within yourself, which was his intention.
It's a film that will drive you crazy if you think about it for too long, but it's definitely worth a watch, probably more than one. Just don't spend too much time trying to overanalyze it or you might drive yourself insane.
