Us

Horror movies are not generally my favourite genre but when they are well done it is an enjoyable experience. Jordan Peele’s debut movie was Get Out and this shares both a solid technical quality and considerable creative flare.  The subject of this film is doppelgangers.  We start with a young family led by Adelaide (Lupita N’yongo), her husband Gabe (Winston Duke), daughter Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and son Jason (Evan Alex).  They are returning to their holiday home in Santa Cruz California, a place which Adelaide has memories of as a child.  As we see in the beginning, it was here that she got lost in a funfair and had an experience of meeting her double.  They meet up with a family they are friendly with, Elizabeth Moss playing the mother Kitty Tyler and soon they realise that something is not right.  The real trouble begins when they discover a family in their driveway who seem to be exact copies of themselves.  This middle part is pure tension and gore in top horror style, calming down again in part 3 as we start to unravel what has been going on and Peele layers on cultural references and possible clues and explanations to what is going on.  Even the ending is slightly ambiguous.

For the most part this is a highly entertaining and also intriguing movie featuring excellent acting by the cast, in particular N’yongo in the lead role(s).  Music by Michael Abels is also a strong feature.

While this is not a classic, it shows that Peele is indeed a new talent to watch out for in the US.  And the symbols and messages about society would certainly keep viewers busy on second viewings.

♦♦♦♦+