Shaping the Future Shaping the Future digital FINAL X | Page 24

2019
Jayda’s
Review
2019 Flix
& Chill
JAYDA’S REVIEW
First off—the hype is real.
Jordan Peele came back to grace
big-screens with a movie even
more unsettling than “Get Out.”
“Us” is filled with action, humor,
plot twists, and gore every step
of the way. If you watch too close-
ly, you are sure to miss the most
important parts, but if you don’t
watch close enough you’ll leave the
theater scratching your head. Peele
used a literal funhouse mirror to
create a metaphorical plot for his
au-dience.
SPOILER ALERT!
If you hadn’t seen the movie, we
encourage you to turn the page
now.
IN THE SCENES
The movie begins with the main
character as a child in 1986 at fair
on the beach. She wanders away
from her parents and finds herself
inside of a building filled with
gags and mirrors. While seeing her
reflection everywhere, she stumbles
across a reflection that does not
move—a carbon copy of herself.
Thirty years later, she returned with
her family to the same beach, only
to be attacked by an entire family of
clones, also referred to as “Doppel-
gangers.”
Reading about the movie may lead
you to believe that the scariest aspect
of it is the fact that there are murder-
ous, government-made clones wreak-
ing havoc on the United States. Yes,
the gore, suspense, and violence is
enough to make you jump out of your
reclining seat, but it is actually the
underlying mes-sages that will make
your heart skip a beat. When the little
girl is on the beach, she is holding an
apple, which represents many things:
knowledge, loss of inno-cence, and
an allusion to the garden of Eden. She
drops the apple before entering the
funhouse, which reveals that she is
about to uncover something sinister.
She is most likely going to lose a piece
of herself and some form of evil or terror
will soon cover the world.
The Plot Thickens!
Now, the most terrifying scene is the
sign held by teenager that says “Jeremi-
ah 11:11.” This is a Bible scripture that
means there is something sinister on
its way to the earthly world, and when
humans cry out in agony, God will not
listen. The world will be helpless.
Culture Significance
Besides the horror of the plot, the hu-
mor is phenomenal. Winston Duke, the
actor who portrays the father, Abra-ham,
successfully incorporates all of the amaz-
ing punch lines without being corny or
breaking his character. Lupita Nyong’o,
who acts as the mother, Adelaide, sucks
the audience into the film with her real-
ism and perfect portrayal of an African
American mother and wife. Peele made
sure that the Black family was represent-
ed in a positive light. There is a scene
where the father is forcing himself to
speak with the stereotypical diction and
syntax of a Black man. It was hilarious
that he was struggling, but it also carried
a very powerful message. The writer
emphasized that Black people can be
educated, well-spoken, and affluent. On
top of being HBCU alumni and being
wealthy enough to own a beach home in
California, they are supportive of one an-
other. Jordan Peele gave the public a real
view of Black culture and Black families.
Coincidence or Connection?!
Now, here’s what you’ve been waiting
for. There is most definitely a tie to “Get
Out.” There isn’t direct evidence pointing
to a connection between the families, but
there are not-so-subtle clues that relate
the two plots. “Get Out” showed the
world the perverse exploitation of Black
bodies and cultural appropriation. “Us” is
similar, but instead of only using Black
2019 Movies & TV shows
we can’t wait to see!
...bodies, the government was
actually experimenting with
the entire population. The main
goal of the U.S. government in
“Us” (the title is another con-
nection being that it is actually
an acronym for the United
States) was to create a superior
population. The failure of the
experiment was that one soul
could not exist in two bodies.
Another connection to “Get
Out” may be that the family
doing the experiments was
actually part of the failed gov-
ernment mission that created
the clones. Instead of trying to
put one soul in two bodies, they
successfully put two souls inside
of one body. Jordan Peele may
be trying to tell us something
even bigger. If you put the titles
next to each other, it reads “Get
Out Us.” Is he trying to tell
his audience to get out of the
United States while they can?
The world may never know.
The ambiguity of the answers
to the underlying mysteries is
simultaneously beau-tiful and
suspenseful.
Final thought:
If you haven’t seen the mov-
ie yet there aren’t any more
spoilers, or at least any serious
ones, so don’t worry. The bottom
line is that Jordan Peele set the
screens on fire once again. The
score for the film is beautiful.
Black classics are woven in
the script with perfect timing
and will have the entire theater
singing along. The audience is
involved emotionally, spiritually,
and mentally. There is a connec-
tion to this movie that you just
will not be able to shake. You’ll
never look in a mirror the same
way ever again.