I'm fascinated by the imagery of "dark doubles," doppelgangers, practices of mimicry and imitation. I find them conceptually rich when done well, and I thought Us handled that material very well, regardless of deficiencies in plot. The Stepford Wives seems to be a perpetual touchstone for Peele, given that Get Out also had a distinctive Stepford current running through it. The cool thing about Us, in my opinion, is that
Addie wasn't in danger of being replaced by a Stepford double; she was the Stepford double all along! This also raises some, I think, exciting implications regarding her children that the film hints at but doesn't bother to answer (rightfully so, I think). For instance, if the underground doubles can procreate, and they procreate "dark" or "empty" doubles, then why aren't false-Addie's above-ground children empty? Or are they half-empty...? This question is especially haunting given the final look shared by Addie and Jason. To an extent, I think the film is commenting on how we are all already partially empty; or rather, the empty aspect--which in the film has been relegated to the underground--is always-already a part of us, and it's the part we don't like to acknowledge.
There's an amazing passage from Steven Shaviro's Doom Patrols that I think taps into the dark heart of Us, without giving anything away plot-wise:
Everybody wants the same cozy evenings by the fireside, the same long walks on the beach. But it's all a facade. Organicism is a myth. Our bodies are never ourselves, our words and texts are never really our own. They aren't "us," but the forces that crush us, the norms to which we've been subjected.
Not only does this quote capture the uncanniness of Us, it also uncannily anticipates Us (Doom Patrols came out in 1997). The Wilsons are vacationing at a beach (the quintessential American vacation spot), and the place where they first come face to face with their doppelgangers (as revealed in the trailer) is in their living room in front of a fireplace. I mean, this film is just shitting all over the ideal of the American family, and I think in that respect it's very well-done.
So I'm not sure exactly why/how Us is deploying the imagery of doubles, but that doesn't mean I don't have my own ideas; I'd say the film offers several possibilities. For me, this means it challenges me to think about those possibilities, and I find that as (if not more) valuable than a film that defines and/or clarifies the possibilities from the outset.
I would have guessed the reinforcement of rabbit and 11:11 would have tickled your fancy. I don't think either are negative, I just already see the redditors are losing their minds at the idea that directives reinforce images throughout their film -- and that Peele is somehow a genius for doing this in Us.
I find it strange you think this way, especially when you consider the film fails at the logistics of the untethered. There's a weird(rather than say bad..) inconsistency to which when they are "doubles" and have influence and when they don't.
The son, for some reason, has a profound impact on his double near the end -- why is this so, now? But we don't see with any other character. We see it down below, doing the same / similar actions above but below, but it's so deranged and strange that it lacks the logical coherence. Especially when we see the flashback to her as a child
For instance, if the underground doubles can procreate, and they procreate "dark" or "empty" doubles, then why aren't false-Addie's above-ground children empty? Or are they half-empty...? This
Little surprised you think the film is interested in this idea rather than purely focused on Adelaide and how that transformation has worked on her entire life, and what that means for this idea of " lower caste people " being thrust into a better scenario, which seems to be the intention of the film
This is like saying Jaws and The Strangers did the same thing, it's really just a stretch. Horror films intend to approach the stereotypical life, so this isn't new, "fresh" or well executed on the "shitting of the American family." The beach is only important because the film made it so, and I don't think you could faithfully argue the opening sequence was more than story building rather than enforcing some larger idea about the American family and their vacation homes.
And for the house...
is simply invading the house good enough to project itself as to a "destruction of the ideal American home?" -- I can't think another aspect of that part of the film, or when they go to the white family's home, of how that imagery is actually important to Us as a film.
And I definitely won't waste my time on the logic of the film, but the fact it's so bad on so many aspects that ignoring it seems to suggest that the film upon execution doesn't matter, which I can't understand.
I find it strange you think this way, especially when you consider the film fails at the logistics of the untethered. There's a weird(rather than say bad..) inconsistency to which when they are "doubles" and have influence and when they don't.
The son, for some reason, has a profound impact on his double near the end -- why is this so, now? But we don't see with any other character. We see it down below, doing the same / similar actions above but below, but it's so deranged and strange that it lacks the logical coherence. Especially when we see the flashback to her as a child
Little surprised you think the film is interested in this idea rather than purely focused on Adelaide and how that transformation has worked on her entire life, and what that means for this idea of " lower caste people " being thrust into a better scenario, which seems to be the intention of the film
This is like saying Jaws and The Strangers did the same thing, it's really just a stretch. Horror films intend to approach the stereotypical life, so this isn't new, "fresh" or well executed on the "shitting of the American family." The beach is only important because the film made it so, and I don't think you could faithfully argue the opening sequence was more than story building rather than enforcing some larger idea about the American family and their vacation homes.
I'd rather not keep responding and including spoiler warnings, since I'm sure it gets annoying for others. All I'll say is that I think there are other details in Us that make the beach more significant, especially the carnival backdrop and flashbacks to 1986.
is simply invading the house good enough to project itself as to a "destruction of the ideal American home?" -- I can't think another aspect of that part of the film, or when they go to the white family's home, of how that imagery is actually important to Us as a film.
I think there are interesting details regarding how the families behave, and especially how the parents speak to their children, that lend weight to film as being about this idea of the "American family." I also think it's important that the film goes out of its way to avoid highly charged racial comparisons/contrasts between the white and black families. They're both examples of American families on quintessential American vacations.
I get suspicion toward this, and it would take more work to really offer a well-informed and substantial argument for this, for which I'd need to see the movie again.
Really sucks about Larry Cohen. You hear all the time about people having a singular vision, that guy had one. Pretty amazing wit, too. Of course, God Told Me To, The Stuff and the It's Alive trilogy are set-in-stone classics, but don't sleep on a title like Special Effects, a nice little Hitchcockian flick notable for starring Ms. 45 herself, Zoe Lund. Also a big fan of Original Gangstas which beat Jackie Brown to the punch by one year doing the 90's blacksploitation thing.
There's an adaptation of The Turn of the Screw that's set for release next year that I'm cautiously optimistic about. Floria Sigismondi directed it who's done amazing music video work which is why I'm optimistic. I just hope she was able to have free reign and wasn't pressured into making a drab, colorless and bland haunting flick.
^i would also recommend perfect strangers which hardly anyone seems to have seen, about a hitman who's tasked to kill a toddler because his bosses fear it might be able to identify him in the future lmao
I've seen it before, checked it out because Michael Ironside is in it. Ever see Hobo with a Shotgun? Different setting but same kind of general idea. Candian exploitation movie about ......exploitation movies of the past. I dig it, think you would too. Nothing amazing but entertaining time waster. Lots of gore, cool post apocalyptic settings, over the top in everyway, etc.
Curious as hell why you give such benefit of the doubt to film makers when this happens (and we consistently have the same conversation over many different ones )
I think there are interesting details regarding how the families behave, and especially how the parents speak to their children, that lend weight to film as being about this idea of the "American family."
Hilariously I think you could argue this was more of a black / white dynamic or even rich/middle class than anything else. But even so, such a small, small portion of the film I don't understand how this could outweigh so much else.
