Sunday, 23 June 2019

Us


2019’s Us, written and directed by Jordan Peele.

Starring Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Evan Alex, and Napiera Groves.

What is it about?

A nuclear family (Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright Joseph, and Evan Alex) go to their cabin to have a vacation, but are interrupted by doppelgangers who want to forcefully take their place. With the country having similar issues widespread, will the family (and nation) make it through the night?


Why is it worth seeing?

In a culture currently dominated by superheroes, sequels/prequels, and cartoons, Jordan Peel’s original IP is a breath of fresh air. After 2017’s wicked thriller satire Get Out, Us sees Peel again creating something both original, and firmly enhanced by what came before. At times reminiscent of The Great Outdoors (check out Winston Duke’s John Candy sized tribute to dad jokes), before sharply pivoting to odes to The Strangers and Funny Games, Peele makes the proceeding all his own, with little flavours of 80’s nostalgia sprinkled throughout.


Similar to Get Out, lurking behind the cat and mouse doppelganger hunter action, Peele’s script has something more meaningful to it than just mere horrifying kicks. It’s metaphor may not work as sharply, or as precisely, as his previous work’s thoughts on entrenched racism and humans willing to break the rules of nature to propagate one’s self interests, but its thoughts on finding oneself, identity, and clones stimulate some neurons upstairs as the action unfolds. Fantastic work by the actors (particularly Lupita Nyong'o)- all playing doubles of themselves, and the rocking soundtrack doesn’t hurt either, which is either cool as the breeze or hilariously ironic.


Peele’s confident camera moves and in house creative tendencies reminds me of another auteur, M Night Shymalen- if M was half as good. Seriously, if Peele can continue to stay true to himself, not let studios meddle to produce works as timelessly hopeless as Avatar: The Last Airbender, and embrace the spirit that made him so successful as a sketch comedian, he will go far in his work. His resume speaks for itself so far.


Rating:

3.5/5



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