A superb horror thriller suspense film with intriguing ideas

Kaleidoscope’s latest is on Universal’s & Monkeypaw’s production of “US”.  Written, produced, & directed by Jordan Peele, the movie stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elizbeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Shahadi Wright Joseph, & Evan Alex.  Rated ‘R’, it has a running time of 1 hr., 56 min. 

The film opens in 1986 with news & TV coverage of the ‘Hands Across America’ benefit campaign when approximately 6.5 million people gathered on May 25th & held hands across the nation for 15 minutes in an attempt to show our nation as one, united.  During this same year, young Adelaide Thomas is vacationing in Santa Cruz, CA, at the beach.  Adelaide walks along the sand, passes a seemingly homeless man who holds a tablet with the inscription Jeremiah 11:11 on it, &, coming upon a funhouse of mirrors, enters it.  After wandering for a short while, she encounters a doppelganger of herself & emits a soundless scream.  Scattered throughout the narrative are scenes of young Adelaide in therapy accompanied by her dysfunctional family.  She appears traumatized & unable to speak of her experience.  Segue to present day as the adult Adelaide (Nyong’o) is traveling to Santa Cruz to vacation with her husband Gabe Wilson (Duke) and their children Jason (Alex) & Zora (Joseph).  Although Adelaide is apprehensive about returning to Santa Cruz because of her childhood experience, she does so because her husband is looking forward to both being there & meeting their wealthy friends, Josh Tyler (Heidecker) & his wife Kitty (Moss).  As the 2 families lounge on the beach, Jason wanders off—just as young Adelaide did years ago—and encounters a man in a red jumpsuit who, in his bloody hand, holds a tablet just like the one Adelaide had seen in 1986.  That night, Jason informs his family that there is a family of 4 standing on their drive way.  Gabe tries to scare them off, but they attack him & enter the house.  It is here that the Wilsons see that the 4 are doppelgangers of themselves.  The ‘mother’ calls herself Red & begins a story of a girl who lives a happy life while her shadow self, suffers; Red identifies her ‘family’ & others such as she as the ‘Tethered’.  From here the plot enters Acts II & III & their ensuing violence. 

Peele earned a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for his 1st cinematic effort, 2017’s “Get Out”.  While the former was more of a psychological suspense thriller, “Us” is more of a horror/thriller although it, too, contains ideas that the viewer must take a day or two to ponder.  The horror aspects are very effective; the film reminds this writer of a “Twilight Zone” episode entitled ‘Mirror Image’ wherein the episode’s star, Vera Miles (Janet Leigh’s character’s sister in Hitchcock’s “Psycho”) sees a doppelganger of herself while waiting in a bus station.  She becomes convinced that this mirror entity is an evil one from a parallel universe.  Since Peele is the host & creator of a “Twilight Zone” series reboot that premieres on the CBS All-Access streaming service on April 1st, he probably has seen the Miles episode, too.  This is a much scarier film than Peele’s previous effort, & he handles these sections very successfully with several scenes that cause the viewer to either squirm in one’s seat or literally jump out of one’s seat.  However, Peele’s writing is deft enough to provide ideas that enhance the horror aspects while also introducing such thought-provoking themes as the following: a person’s self-worth; how class & wealth distinction keep creating an ever-widening cultural rift; that racial inequality persists & has shown a resurgence in the past 2 years; that a country that showed the promise of a more united nation 33 years ago has grown ever-more divided & hostile on both sides of the political spectrum; that ‘the Tethered’ appear on both sides of this spectrum & will only be restrained for so long until the political climate regains its humanity & it needs to be sooner rather than later; etc.  Employing the Jeremiah 11:11 allusion adds to these themes: “Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them”.  Peele seems to be saying that to remain a viable society, we need to heed this.  Or, as Lincoln said, “a house divided against itself, cannot stand”.  Such thought-provoking ideas are rarely found in a mainstream Hollywood movie; it is refreshing to see these in Peele’s films.  The acting is first-rate.  Nyong’o is mesmerizing as both Adelaide & Red.  She is alternatively vulnerable, strong, brave, & sensitive.  At Oscar time, she should receive consideration for a Best Actress award to go along with her Best Supporting Actress that she earned for 2013’s “12 Years a Slave”.  Duke gives a performance that demonstrates that he is far more than the warrior M’Baku in “Black Panther”.  He is more of a supporter of Adelaide rather than truly being the head of the family but still holds his own.  While both children shine in supporting roles, Joseph has the much more substantial character as a sort of younger version of Adelaide.  It will be interesting to see her in future roles.  Michael Abels’s score, Mike Giolakis’s cinematography, & Nicholas Monsour’s editing all aid in creating a palpable tone & mood of fear, horror, & increasing suspense. 

I give “Us” 4 out of 5 nuggets.  Peele has shown that his talent & skills have left no room for a ‘sophomore jinx’.  He is a true auteur who has given the viewer the fulfilled promise of a career that should only grow & be more intriguing as the years evolve.  If you are looking for suspense, if you are looking for horror, if you are looking for thought-provoking cinema, head to your multiplex asap for a ride that encompasses all of these aspects.