*The following contains spoilers*
I'm sure many of you have seen the chilling trailer for Jordan Peele's new thriller film title "Us."
I went to see it the day that it opened and I would 100% recommend it. I'm not gonna lie, I don't think I can say I 100% got it, but I think that is part of the reason why it was good to see. I think it's extremely valuable to expose yourself to different kinds of thoughts on various issues so that we can develop our own opinions and create change as a society.
Peele's previous movie "Get Out" was a major success and a personal favorite of mine. The movie had a really interesting plot while simultaneously incorporating race issues in a way that led to a lot of great discourse within the media and everyday homes. At a quick glance, one might think that "Us" will also tackle race issues, and while it does, it is not so limited to that. The movie's focus is more on class issues and inequity on the whole.
From what I can gather, the movie is supposed to revolve around "othering" in America. For those who are not familiar with the concept, "othering" is when an individual or group is being mentally classified in someone's mind as essentially being "not one of us," and the person prioritizes and accepts those they deem to be like them. We've seen this again and again throughout history. When the Europeans came to colonize America, they were really taking away land for the indigenous people who already lived there. The Europeans, though, particularly in terms of religion, felt their way of life to be the correct way and thus were quick to try to snuff out the ways of the native people, whether that be through violence or an attempt to indoctrinate them to the ways of life that the Europeans intended to establish in America.
In "Us," the people that look like the regular people, but who are distinguished by their red jumpsuits, are the forgotten people in America, i.e. the lower class who we so often leave on their own despite the assistance they could use Now here is where the big spoiler comes in. Lupita Nyong'o, who plays Adelaide Wilson, the other in the Wilson family and main character of the movie, used to be one of the "tethered" people a.k.a the doppelgangers, although this is not revealed until the very end. She stole the regular world Adelaide, when she was a young girl, leaving the regular world Adelaide to become one of the "tethered" and forgotten people. When the once regular world Adelaide leads the uprising of the "tethered", she particularly targets the Wilson family in order to get revenge for her life being stolen. However, ultimately the once regular world Adelaide is killed, by her tethered self. In the end, the tethered self, who we believed to be the normal Adelaide the whole time, wins. I think this makes an important point, that when the forgotten people in America are given the same chances as people in a higher class than them, they are able to succeed. They get the good life, family, and ultimately win. They just have to be given the chance.Ultimately, the movie provided a lot to think about in terms of inequity in America and why we need to make changes as a society.
