US by jordan peele

the shadow family standing silently in the driveway

Probably my favourite image in the film.

As you can tell, I have problems with the execution of the film. Most of all how prolonged the last 15 or 20 minutes felt, but, more broadly, from the moment the shadow-mom explains her life in the living room, right up until the final twist, it's basically just one long attempt by the Wilsons to escape; I don't know that there's a single new bit of information in that stretch, and that's half the film.

The more I think about it, though, I think the conception of the film--the Trump interpretation, which to me is inescapable (not to say that there aren't valid psychological interpretations concerning the self)--is fantastic. Family looks uncomprehendingly on some monstrous version of itself, one fueled by rage and resentment that has literally crawled up from the sewer (which, speaking honestly, is how most Democrats view most Trump voters).

"Who are you people?"
"We're Americans."

That's perfect--and coming from an African-American filmmaker, generous and empathetic above and beyond. I've always thought that at moments of great peril, a horror film can go places that more literal films can't get anywhere near. Night of the Living Dead and Rosemary's Baby confronting 1968, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre for Watergate and the Nixon meltdown, etc. Us is pretty great at that level, I'd say.

This was decent
Didn't enjoy as much as Get Out

I was looking forward to a hysterical Armond White review, but they assigned it to someone else (to be fair? doubtful):

http://www.nationalreview.com/2019/03/jordan-peeles-get-out-follow-up/

Kinda ok with the twist. I mean it makes sense in that Red was weirdly the only tethered that spoke, and why she refused to kill the doppelganger kids and screamed when Pluto immolated.

And it does reframe her fear - someone is a lot more likely to fear someone coming back to take revenge if they know they wronged somebody violently years ago....and are inadvertently returning to their lair. Though are we really meant to believe that as many years as they visited that summer home, they never went to Santa Cruz beach once? Wouldn't Adelaide be anxious vacationing in a summer home that close to the scene of the crime?

But I also wonder how the tethered broke free enough of their hosts to be independent. Presumably that's what Red taught them to do? Since both bodies shared one soul. Explains why Pluto was weaker and just copied his host whereas the others didn't.

Thought it was pretty good. May see again.

“We’re Americans” is the clunkiest bit in the movie! MAGA red jumpsuit sewer people “rising up” gets the message across fine. What does the line even mean? I also take back what I said about it being well paced, it’s not, like others have said above it’s half an hour of build up and then a thrilling chase, and an exposition dump in the last 20 minutes. There’s no space to expand on whatever sociopolitical message was intended because of the very long chase. So we get the Americans line which sticks out like a sore thumb, and the wall across America of MAGA red shadow people at the end.

Good ingredients here. Shockingly bad execution.

They were mimicking Hands Across America, which the young Adelaide saw a commercial for on TV. One of the clues that Red was really Adelaide. They even reminded the audience of this before the twist.

It's not clunky at all. If you think it's overkill, then get rid of the red jumpsuits--I do not believe that most people (I certainly didn't) immediately equate red with MAGA; I don't believe red has been subsumed under that one very specific meaning.

In addition to the line showing solidarity amongst the Tethered, a show of power and uprising, it could also be seen as a critique of fundraisers like HAA, which made people feel warm and fuzzy inside, but fell way short of its fundraising goal and is looked upon with cynicism in retrospect

Xpost

I don't believe red has been subsumed under that one very specific meaning

What about the phrase "red America"? (I haven't seen the movie yet.)

What does the line even mean?

Doesn't seem especially opaque. It means they're Americans, just like the Wilsons.

(xpost) Okay, but historically, red also the meant the red scare of the '50s--it meant the opposite. For me, "We're Americans" states very simply and very eloquently the heart of the film.

Having just re-watched Malcolm X for the umpteenth time, I'd also say it turns Malcolm's great "Before we were Democrats or Republicans..." speech on its head. That ends (or is situated close to the end) with "Before we were Americans, we were black."

my problem with "We're Americans" is it suddenly foregrounds a political statement in a movie otherwise full of vague & far less didactic commentary. I shouldn't have asked what it means, really I want to know why it's there to stand alone right before an hour of apolitical horror thriller chase begins. a wall of zombie shadow people wearing red jumpsuits stretched across America seems obviously a Trump image to me. But this movie doesn't give us enough to go off of to say one way or another.

They were mimicking Hands Across America, which the young Adelaide saw a commercial for on TV. One of the clues that Red was really Adelaide. They even reminded the audience of this before the twist.

― early to board the Buttigieg train (Neanderthal)

I know. All of this is impossible to miss. Doesn't make the metaphor any clearer, particularly when all this is shoved into the very beginning and very ending of the movie.

The red jumpsuits didn't automatically bring Trump to my mind. The connection does seem obvious, but the symbolism of the color red, particularly in a horror context, are vague enough that I wouldn't just flatly equate the two.

I do agree that the "We're Americans" line felt awkward, but specifically because that moment felt markedly more pointed and topical than the rest of the symbolism, including the red jumpsuits.

Could the red suits be a nod to Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, wherein the slave apes wear red jumpsuits?

I do agree that the "We're Americans" line felt awkward, but specifically because that moment felt markedly more pointed and topical than the rest of the symbolism, including the red jumpsuits.

Exactly, and that line alone is what suggests the jumpsuits are MAGA red. yes, of course the color red has many, many symbolic meanings, but that line - which comes out of nowhere - invites a Trumpist/"red America" reading of the rest of the (much more vague) symbolism in the movie.

Pointed and topical is not inherently bad. I'm not ceding an inch on this--that line has to stay. If you want, keep it in for dummies like me. I mean, you've just said that the line is what gives the jumpsuits their meaning...I don't know why you'd prefer vague symbolism to something concrete. It's not like he piles on one Trump reference after another.

I was thinking that maybe the ending operates on a Fight Club level. Edward Norton does battle with Brad Pitt (sometimes), in the end they're the same person. I think, anyway--I hate Fight Club.

Being pointed and topical can be amazing (Get Out), but imo Peele doesn't follow through on that line. The line doesn't give their jumpsuits their meaning, but it's the only point we have to go off of. The line makes it obvious there's something to the horror beyond a genre exercise, so................... what is it? and the twist totally complicates all of this.

I don't know why you'd prefer vague symbolism to something concrete

More to think about. But again, it's not that there isn't much to mull over here, I just have no idea what Peele wants us to mull over in the first place.

Saw it again. Now that i wasn't trying to guess the damn twist, I loved it. Genuinely unsettling.

I like the ending. I think though the key to the awkwardness of how previous dialogue seems not to make sense is that Adelaide actually doesn't remember she is the kidnapper until the end. Whereas Red has been underground for 30+ years not talking so it stands to reason her voice is labored from disuse. And she's probably gone a little mad.

It STILL doesn't work perfectly but hey, there have been much more egregious "unreliable narrator" twists.

I did like how Adelaide's language degrades into a primal scream when killing Red. A bit of remembrance of her past prior to having to "act" as Adelaide again when she finds her son.

Vox (yea fuck off) pointed out the line to Elizabeth Moss about "sometimes having trouble talking" might have been subconsciously
a literal statement. Since she had to learn English after being almost ten years behind her peers. Plus old instincts etc

not bad, but nowhere near as good as Get Out

twist was so east to guess cmon

Neanderthal's post makes me understand something very basic that I was missing for some reason--they simply switched places in that funhouse 30 years ago. I was fixated on the idea that mom was somehow simultaneously herself and shadow-mom at the same time. So the ending isn't illogical; you can complain about it on other grounds, but it does make sense, I guess.

Why did Adelaide stay in the tunnels all those years when Red was able to escape fairly easily?

“we’re americans” is an amazing and awesome line

that it’s difficult to derive a single clear message from this movie is... good

and i’m just gonna say i liked this better than get out

The line doesn't give their jumpsuits their meaning, but it's the only point we have to go off of. The line makes it obvious there's something to the horror beyond a genre exercise, so................... what is it? and the twist totally complicates all of this.

you want an explainer not a movie

I agree that the thematic ambiguity is good. I did find the actual script needlessly overburdened with content to interpret, incl "we're americans" tbh. things left unstated are much more unsettling.

I think “we’re Americans” works as deadpan, that’s how my engaged crowd seemed to take it, any other level aside.

Why did Adelaide stay in the tunnels all those years when Red was able to escape fairly easily?

― Chris L, Monday, March 25, 2019 7:38 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

She was handcuffed to her bed. Presumably someone eventually helped her out of it but perhaps it had been so long that she had no idea how she would get out and find her parents?

From 14 on she seemed more interested in inspiring the others.

that it’s difficult to derive a single clear message from this movie is... good

Yeah, agreed. I mean, does everyone finish their first watch of The Shining frustrated that the message isn’t clear?

“We’re Americans” sets up that there are two classes of people who are tethered but do not visibly overlap. While watching it, I thought the Tethered were from a world where slaves were never freed...but in the end the story feels as much about class as race. You grow up in the underworld, you don’t get to heal your face, and so on. And what does the main family owe that underworld, whether they are their ancestors or themselves if not for good luck?

I think “we’re Americans” works as deadpan.

That too, definitely.

/The line doesn't give their jumpsuits their meaning, but it's the only point we have to go off of. The line makes it obvious there's something to the horror beyond a genre exercise, so................... what is it? and the twist totally complicates all of this./

you want an explainer not a movie

Go watch Magic Mike then

But there’s only two of them

Just skimmed this--unqualified rave.

http://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/review-jordan-peeles-us-is-a-colossal-cinematic-achievement

Just saw this, flopson otm about the twist being easy to spot. Seemed like an obv possibility from the start if you’ve like ever seen anything before, and then when she’s finishing off the one twin and grunting just like the tethered ppl do and the son comes in and stares at her horrified, clearly suggesting that he’s starting to figure something out, and then they keep on piling on massive hints from there... cmon is right

I liked how the men were awful on both sides

I'm in love with Gus.

Gabe rather

he was great

here's my review fwiw

(The Dad from Get Out) I just thought Get Out had so much more to say about white liberalism.

-@samzorn

— Gretchen Felker-Martin (@scumbelievable) March 25, 2019

I really liked this and found the way it fit together (or didn’t) really satisfying but I could definitely have done with more of the shadow family because I found them really frightening esp the husband and daughter

Elizabeth Moss’s fake devastation turning to mocking laughter - you know it’s coming, I feel like I’ve seen this so many times but the way she did it was great

Actually I’m not sure the devastation was fake

her best screen performance

can we change thread title to ‘Us’

Film people are really into ALL CAPS TITLES idgi myself

ya but in this case it’s confusing because titles only two letters so it looks like an abbrev. bothers me

It's just a titling convention, sheesh

it's not tho is the thing