Now a grown woman, Adelaide Wilson (Lupita Nyong'o) and her family are revisiting her their old lake house for a vacation when exact copies of themselves, called the Tethered, mysteriously appear, seeking to replace her and her family.
This confrontation triggers Adelaide's repressed childhood memories in Santa Cruz Beach. Things immediately went haywire when Gabe (Winston Duke), Adelaide's husband, was hurt by his mirror image. The Tethered are not simply looking to replace them, they want to kill them.
Adelaide must keep her family safe from their mirror image while she finds out the truth about her past and who she is.
"Us" is Jordan Peele's second movie after "Get Out," which got a lot of praise for it's social and political relevance.
Teeming of symbols, interpretations, and themes, "Us" is a film that demands an in-depth analysis to understand its layers of messages.
Known for his activism in serious topics such as racism, "Us" is a metaphor for various issues, from mental illness to social class divide. This and Peele's excellent use of foreshadowing and twist ending enrich the experience of watching the film.
Nyong'o was also a big part of this movie's success, her performances as Red and Adelaide raise the quality of the movie on their own.
Doppelgangers might be an unusual creature to take in on the big screen, but Peele did so anyway with his Tethered. However, his version is not as scary as I expected. Movie monsters can be categorized from silly to terrifying, but the Tethered falls under the category of creepy but forgettable.
Nevertheless, "Us" is one of the best horror films of 2019.
"Us" is strange and brave, but it doesn't have the same success and scares as "Get Out." However, it does a great job of making its messages relevant and creative.
4/5
