Terrifying and trenchant horror from Jordan Peele

Rating: 9/10 (23 March 2019)

After his Oscar-winning directorial debut Get Out in 2017, the inimitable Jordan Peele returns with Us, a terrifying look at both personal and societal demons. We are introduced to the Wilsons, led by jovial patriarch Gabe (Winston Duke) and his reserved wife Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o), on a vacation to the beaches of Santa Cruz with their two kids (Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex). Gabe's enthusiasm for holiday hobbies is unshared by Adelaide, a victim of childhood trauma who begins to feel uneasy after a series of unnerving coincidences start to plague their idyllic trip. Her fears are not unfounded, as the family are soon terrorised by doppelgangers in what proves to be a horror thrill-ride, thoughtfully executed by Jordan Peele.
Peele is a maestro of the genre; he has an uncanny way of knowing both when to play into horror tropes and when to subvert them completely, resulting in a film that grips the audience in its unpredictability. So many elements are combined in Us; there's old-fashioned slasher horror and classic home invasion, accompanied by the suspense and sharp comedy of Get Out. Even more satisfying, however, is Peele's inclusion of underlying social commentary, a subtle satire perhaps echoed in the film's title (are we talking about the pronoun or looking at a critique of U.S society?). Us may lack the deft narrative control of Get Out, but in some ways it's an even more impressive feat of filmmaking, equally thought-provoking and thematically complex, yet more ambitious and inventive. The entire movie is shrouded in a layer of ambiguity; Peele is giving us the freedom to interpret it in whatever way we wish. Some will see Us as more of a metaphor, others as a social statement... many will also see it as simply a gorily entertaining crowd-pleaser and the film functions gloriously even as just that. It's not without the occasional plot-hole, but if these inspire Peele to return to the 'Us-verse' for another film to clear up the gaps, they will all have been worth it.
Us is elevated by a selection of fantastic performances, notable by the fact that every actor plays two roles, that of their character and their throat-slitting counterpart. Lupita Nyong'o is a force of silent determination as Adelaide and oozes steely creepiness as the leader of the subterranean "Tethered", Red. Winston Duke's Gabe is the soft-hearted master of the dad joke, yet his twin is wonderfully menacing. The two kids are fantastic and Elisabeth Moss is brilliant as always. In the third act, the film becomes slightly more unfocused, but the cast keep it buoyant with spirited performances.
Visually, the film is absolutely gorgeous, Mike Gioulakis' cinematography making expert use of reflections as a terrifying motif to keep us on the edge of our seats. Homage is paid to other horror classics; an overhead car shot reminds one of the Torrances arriving at the Overlook in 'The Shining' and haunting dance interludes echo of Darren Aronofsky's 'Black Swan'. Even with this, Us feels like an original product, unapologetically strange and stylish. Michael Abels' score is also a gem, an amalgamation of itchy strings, taiko drums and Satanic choirs. Jukebox choices in certain scenes are also well-judged (let's just say, Luniz's I Got 5 On It will have a whole new meaning).
With Us, Jordan Peele seems to have broken the sophomore curse, cementing his status as one of the most exciting filmmakers working today. It's the kind of film where, with every return viewing, you will notice more and more clever touches that lie hidden in its rich textures. Horrifying, trenchant and unique, Us is another success from Jordan Peele.