Us Review

Hand clap for Jordan Peele and Lupita Nyong'o!! Wow! Well done! Jordan Peele has created yet another must-see, which requires at least 2 viewings. More on that below. And Lupita, in her first leading role, was simply astounding! She played the heck out of both Adelaide and Red. You should go see Us for her performance alone! The dance/fight scene!! Brilliant! Loved it! The music. The movement. The facial expressions. The choreography. IT WAS EVERYTHING!! 

Shahadi Wright Joseph also stole some scenes as Zora and Umbrae. Winston Duke (Gabe/Abraham), Evan Alex (Jason/Pluto), Yahya Abdul-Mateen II (Russel/Weyland), Anna Diop (Rayne/Eartha), Elisabeth Moss (Kitty/Dahlia), Tim Heidecker (Josh/Tex), Cali Sheldon (Becca/Io), and Noelle Sheldon (Lindsey/Nix) round out the rest of the main cast. 

Us was written, produced, and directed by Peele, just like Get Out. Us definitely lives up to Get Out. Much like Get Out, you cannot get a good grasp of the film until your 2nd viewing of the film. This is not a bad a thing though, rather this is a reflection of Peele's genius. The 1st viewing of the film will have you leaving thinking it was a great film with great twists. Then the 2nd viewing takes your experience of the film to another level. Now knowing the twists and who is who, it is like you are watching a different film altogether. Certain actions and words will have new and deeper meanings. Instead of your mind trying to figure out the film, you find yourself trying to figure out Peele and what he's trying to convey to the audience. While Get Out made me actually jump in my seat, and gave me more laugh out loud moments, Us did make me think and had some nice twists up its sleeve. 

So what is Peele trying to tell us with this film? He said, "There are specific ideas that I'm exploring and trying to say with this film, all relating to our duality as human beings, and the guilt and sins that we bury deep within ourselves." My own theory is that the doppelgangers, or the Tethered, who live underground are a reflection of how many of us in the U.S. are allowing the internet and social media to control us. The Tethered move differently, despite the fact that everything they do is a reflection of what is being done above ground. When we see flashbacks of how they are living below ground it is clear they are just going through the motions. The prime example being the Tethered people experiencing the roller coaster ride. While the people above are actually on a roller coaster, their Tethered person is below ground standing squeezed together with the other Tethered rollercoaster people moving back and forth. Then factor in that Tether people cannot speak, they can only make grunts. To me, this seems reflective of how the internet and social media, especially on our phones, has really negatively impacted both our ability and desire to communicate with each other in person. 

One of the most striking messages comes from juxtaposing the face Adelaide's Tethered father, Weyland, makes at Red when he turns around to briefly smile at her and then go back into this soulless face and back to going through the motions, as well as the faces Dahlia (Kitty's tethered person) makes when she sees the boat on fire and she has a face of great devastation quickly followed by a face of great enjoyment and laughter, to the Tethered people holding hands above ground (in "Hands Across America" fashion, as seen on the shirt Adelaide and Red wore in the 1986 scene) in what Red describes as needing to make a statement that the whole world can see. When I juxtapose Weyland and Dahlia's faces and inability to maintain emotion to the Tethered people then coming together above ground to make a statement in protest, I think about our experience on social media on our phones. We scroll so fast and go through so many emotions. Even when we see something devastating, often times we may be so conditioned to it that we continue to scroll and shortly thereafter encounter something funny or entertaining. Further, it is this shortened attention span and social media protesting that can sometimes seem to quickly vanish from the top of our mind, that keeps us from truly coming together and taking a stand against some of the injustices that we are seeing taking place in our country and around the world. I think when given a chance to come above ground and out of this internet/social media cycle, the Tethered felt they could actually come together and make a stronger statement than they were used to while they were underground stuck in the internet/social media cycle of going through the motions.

That theory seems to go well with what Red says is her theory of what was going on. After luring Adelaide back underground, Red tells her that the people living above ground take the sky, trees, and sun for granted. Meanwhile, the Tethered are underground without those things. In other words, are we going out and enjoying nature and what the world has to offer, or are we focused on our phones and computer? Keep in mind, when Adelaide and her family first encounter their Tethered selves they are out in the wilderness. One of the first things that Zora says when they arrive is that there's no wifi. And Gabe quips back that they don't need the internet, because they have the "outernet." Couple that with the house of mirrors that leads to the Tethered saying above the door "Find Yourself." Meaning, our true selves are stuck in this internet/social media cycle of going through the motions and short-lived emotions of joy and devastation, and also it is when we break away from the internet that our true selves may be able to find us again. Recall, (1) the power goes out for both the Wilsons and the Tylers before their Tethered selves come to them, and (2) Adelaide says it won't stop until they kill the Tethered or the Tethered kills them. So losing power, and therefore likely the internet, allows for the opportunity to cease living this double life which includes going through the motions for the internet. 

Back to Red's theory, Red says she believes that humans made a copy of bodies perhaps not realizing there would still only be one soul between the 2 humans. She says she believes that this was done to control humans like puppets. Then when it failed they left the Tethered below ground, and they went mad. So perhaps the film is saying the internet was brought about as a distraction that could also be used to manipulate and control people. The internet, and later social media was a place where people had the ability to become a second person. Think about the people who go through the motions to create a certain appearance of their lifestyle on social media. Also, think about the ways the media and the internet can be used to manipulate what people believe and how they behave. 

Red goes on to say that she and Adelaide were special and God brought them together that night in the house of mirrors. She says she never stopped thinking about Adelaide and how things could have been if she had taken Red with her. Which we know really means, how things would have been different if instead of handcuffing her underground and leaving her, she just went back with Red and told the world about the Tethered people living underground. Is this a question of what would the world be like if when we individually begin to realize the internet/social media is taking over our lives and we aren't really living, we then make the choice to fully live out life above ground? As opposed to choosing to keep part of ourselves imprisoned in the internet/social media cycle. What would it look like if we chose to fully break free and have our whole selves truly living life and taking action? 

But the main question that I think we must ask ourselves, after learning the major twist of the film (that Adelaide was born underground and it was Red who was born above ground but then forced by Adelaide to live underground), are we truly living or do we just think we are living in the same way we mistakenly believed Adelaide was not a Tethered person until the very end? 

Some other interesting observations and final thoughts and questions in no particular order:

• 1986 is the year the National Science Foundation (NSFNET) goes online and connects supercomputer centers through a network of networks! Essentially the beginning of connecting the U.S. through the internet, much like tunnels connect the country. 
• One of the definitions of tethering, which is used throughout the film not only to describe the doppelgangers but also by Red in place of more commonly used words (i.e. when Red tells Adelaide to tether herself to the table), is: "the linking of a computer or other device to a smartphone in order to connect to the Internet."
• The discussion of Adelaide possibly having PTSD makes me think about how traumatizing it is at times to be faced with violent visual reminders on social media of how we are physically mistreated and murdered without regard for our humanity. 
• Jeremiah 11:11 (NIV): "Therefore this is what the Lord says: 'I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them."
• Jason's mask looks similar to the one Winston Duke wore in Black Panther as M'baku.
• Zora's t-shirt has a running bunny on it. 
• No one responds to Zora's theory about the government trying to control people by putting fluoride in the water.
• Jason can pretty easily get Pluto to mirror his exact movements. Is it possible that every time Jason tried to get his toy to light up, Pluto's match was lighting up and that is why his face was burned? 
• It seems the first victim was the Jeremiah 11:11 sign guy who was also present in 1986. We see him being put into the ambulance when the family is driving to the beach, and it seems his Tethered person is the man Jason comes across on the beach with a trench coat over his red jumpsuit, fingerless gloves, and blood dripping from his fingers.
• Josh Tyler's shirt on the beach says "Fragile." 
• Adelaide tells Kitty it is hard for her to talk when they are sitting on the beach. Note that now that we know Adelaide is actually a Tethered person, that explains why she could not talk as a child. Tethered people do not talk. 
•  Becca and Lindsey going up to Zora to tell her her brother is weird and question her about why she's not getting in the water, when Zora was just minding her own business in her own space, felt like someone invading safe spaces that POC often have to create on places like the internet.
• All of the birds made me think of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds."
• Lupita's mask on the film's poster, and Jason's mask makes me think of the mask people where for the internet, as well as for others. Even to some extent, it makes me think of double consciousness, as in also representing how we know others see us. Especially in light of how the Wilson's compare to their Tethered counterparts. Gabe is an educated HBCU grad, but Abraham is like this big man that only makes loud animal-like grunts. We often hear people say they are afraid of Black men when there is no obvious indicator for what about that particular man made them feel afraid; leaving one to surmise that they were afraid of him solely because of his skin color. Jason's Tethered person, Pluto, is more like a mischievous dog or monkey who is said to have a temper. This reminds me of Black people being referred to as monkeys or animals, and how even when our young men are the victims the media is so quick to portray them in a negative light.
• The conversation between Adelaide and Jason when he's in the bed. She tells him to take off his mask, which many of us figuratively do once we are home. He asks if she thought he was dead, and she goes on to say stick with her and she will keep him safe. This makes me think of the mothers of young Black boys and wanting to keep them safe but being fearful when they are out of their sight because we know the dangers that are out there particularly because they are young Black boys. It also brings to mind the need to have conversations with our sons and the belief that they have to have a certain type of mask on when they are out there in the world. These conversations are often around what to do if you're pulled over by a cop. Ultimately, Pluto is in fact killed after mirroring Jason's movement in a straight line along the road until he is engulfed in the flames of the fire he started in the Wilson's car. A symbolic death of a young Black boy in a vehicle, perhaps? The walk towards the car with hands raised certainly gave me sobriety field test vibes that triggered thoughts of law enforcement pulling people over. Speaking of law enforcement, despite all of the murder taking place, cops don't seem to be present. The Wilson's are given a 15 minute ETA from the 9-11 operator. Ophelia (Alexa in the world of Us) plays "F@ck the Police" when Kitty asks it to call the police. 
• The statue by the clock in Jason's room is missing its lower left leg, which foreshadows Gabe's injury to his left leg.
• When Adelaide tells Gabe being at the summer house makes her feel like a black cloud is over her and she doesn't feel like herself it seems to possibly be a reflection of feeling insecure or unsure of yourself when you're in close proximity to having to face your true self and real life and stop going through the motions to portray something online. 
• The story Adelaide shares with Gabe about what happened in 1986 does not include any actual lies, it just omits the whole dragging Red downstairs and handcuffing her before going back above ground and running.
• The whistling of the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" could be symbolic of Red one day trying to come back up like the spider does after the sun dries up all the rain. Another symbol of the song is when Adelaide watches a spider crawling on the table shortly after getting to the summer house.
• Now that we know the Tethered go through the motions of the life lived by the people above ground, how does the fact that Adelaide is the actual Tethered person match up with Red's story of being forced to marry Abraham, giving birth to Umbrae and Pluto, slicing fingers on toys, etc. Based on the story itself, it seemed that being the Tethered person is what leads you to live out, in motion, the life of the person above ground. However, if Red was not born underground as a Tethered person, her being forced to live out the Tethered version of Adelaide's life suggests it's based not on how and where you're born, but rather where you live. On the other hand, we know that there is not an automatic shift of dynamics based on whether you live underground or above ground, because Red maintained her ability to talk (though obviously somewhat strained) and it was likely her ability to move so well during the ballet dancing that made the Tethered people believe she was different from them. Not to mention the fact that Adelaide was trying to force Jason to snap offbeat in the car ride earlier in the film, which is probably because Tethered folks just move differently. LOL. So which is it?? Are you controlled because you're born tethered or are you controlled because you live among the Tethered? But truly, if Jason is controlling the mirrored movements of Pluto when Pluto is above ground, it suggests it is not based on where you reside but where you were born. Therefore, Red should not have been forced to marry Abraham and give birth to Umbrae and Pluto just because Adelaide married Gabe and gave birth to Zora and Jason. If anything, Red's choices should have controlled Adelaide's life, because Adelaide was born Tethered. And yet, Red's story says the very opposite. So this part is still very unclear to me. 
• When Gabe asks them who they are, Red says they are Americans. So is the film saying Americans are just going through the motions and distracted/manipulated by the internet and social media? I can see that.
• When Red has Adelaide handcuff herself to the table it is similar to when Adelaide handcuffed Red to the bed underground.
• The toy ambulance Jason uses as a door stopper is what helps to set into motion their first escape when he traps Pluto in the closet by kicking the ambulance from the door like Zora did to Jason earlier in the film. This foreshadows an actual ambulance being used for their final escape at the end of the film.
• In earlier flashbacks, the Tethered people are wearing the same clothes as those above ground. When Red begins to set her plan into action they begin wearing these orange-red jumpsuits, almost like a reminder to themselves that as long as they remain down there they are prisoners. Further, the ability to wear something else to begin making plans suggest they were already untethered. Then again I ask, how did Adelaide's life cause Red to marry Abraham and give birth to Umbrae and Pluto?
• When Dahlia cuts her face while looking in the mirror is that connected to the work Kitty mentions getting done to her face while talking to Adelaide on the beach?
• The interaction between Adelaide and Jason after he witnesses her killing Red and laughing. He seems hesitant with her at first. She seems to sense this, pushing her hair back, as if to show him her face and prove she is the mother he knows. She tells him they can't hurt him and asks if he understands, but he says no. She then says everything will be like it was before. Later in the ambulance, she looks at him as if she's wondering if he knows. He just stares at her then puts his mask back on.