¡QUÉ HORROR! 2019
Candidate #19
US
(March 2019)
“Then Sotuknang went to Taiowa and said, ‘I want you to see what I have done. And I have done
well.’
“And Taiowa looked and said, ‘It is very good. But you are not done with
it. Now you must create life of all
kinds and set it in motion according to my plan.’”
--“Creation Story” (written and performed by Tsonakwa & Dean Evenson;
from a Hopi creation myth)
After the decisive statement of purpose that was Get Out, Jordan Peele returns with Us, which sees Lupita Nyong’o as a wife
and mother whose family is besieged by red-clad, scissors-wielding doppelgängers.
Which of course, you’d know if you’ve already seen
the trailers or the one sheets.
That is, however, all you’re going to get here,
because, as always, to preserve as much of the cinematic experience as
possible, I steer as clear of spoiler territory as humanly possible…
But I will say this:
Though Peele trades in the overt thematics of
racism in Get Out for a follow-up
that’s apparently a more
straight-forward horror film that just happens to have an African-American family
as its protagonists, what it looks like (as indicated by Us’ narrative) isn’t necessarily what it actually is.
So, yes, Us,
like Get Out, is most definitely
about something. It’s just a bit more
under the skin though, so you’ll need to dig to uncover Us’ truths.
Another thing I can say:
It’s rare these days to point to a film with a
nearly two hour running time and call it “tight,” but Us seriously just flies
by.
The pacing, performances, and clear control Peele
exerts over the narrative all combine to give (heh) us another ¡Qué horror!-worthy piece from the comedian who’d
always dreamed of becoming a horror movie director.
Well, thank goodness he finally got around to the
horror…
Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them,
which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I
will not hearken unto them.
--Jeremiah
11:11 (King James Version)
(Us OS’
courtesy of impawards.com)
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