The director of the acclaimed horror movie Get Out is releasing a new horror movie Us in 2019. The film was highly acclaimed by critics, but the audience did not perceive the tape so unambiguously.
Plot
Little girl Adelaide came with her parents to a coastal amusement park. While having fun, she accidentally ends up in a room filled with mirrors. Trying to get out, she stumbles upon her exact copy.
This is where the scene ends, and the audience sees the already adult heroine with her husband Gabe, and two children. The family comes to rest in the grandmother’s cottage. The house is located near a vindictive park, so she is nervous about the trip. As it turned out, not in vain, that same evening, four strangers in red overalls appear next to the threshold. Unknown persons, armed with scissors, are extremely aggressive.
The meaning of the film
As in his previous horror, Jonathan Peel uses the genre to reveal acute social issues. With his chosen theme, he reflects the problems of inequality in American society.
At the center of the whole web of symbolism is the Earthbound, a government project in the 80s designed to manipulate the populace. The copies living underground were supposed to control the originals on the surface. The program failed due to the lack of a key element in the underground inhabitants – the soul.
The film shows the struggle of the Earthbound, their revolution. At the end of the picture, the doubles are holding hands – this is a reference to the 80s charity event “Hands Across America”. This event is watched by the main character before she was kidnapped. She uses it to make the Earthbound declare their desire to live.
The film often brings up the theme of duality. This is reflected not only in the shadows, the whole action is saturated with a double meaning:
- This is expressed in the number 11. The units in it are the same, which implies that the copy is equal to the original. The number also hints at the biblical component of the script. At the beginning of the horror, the creator refers to the verse Jeremiah 11:11.
- Doubles use scissors during the attack – a weapon consisting of two identical parts. Their duality is not only in this. By their nature, they serve two purposes: creation and destruction.
- Rabbits, according to the director, also carry a double meaning. They fascinate and intimidate at the same time. This is the only food that the Shadows ate underground.
What is happening on the screen is full of symbolism, which the author unsuccessfully tries to give a logical justification.
Characteristics of heroes
In the center of the film is the Wilson family. Each of the actors had to do double work, playing two opposite characters.
Adelaide / Red
The whole story revolves around her. As is known from the ending, on an ill-fated evening in 1986, Red replaced Adelaide in real life, locking her in a dungeon. This explains the strange behavior of the girl after the park. The screen showed an impostor, who adapts to new conditions for herself.
The Oscar-winning Lupita Nyong’o’s acting performance deserves the highest praise, she completely immersed herself in her roles, and her skill largely determined the success of the horror film.
Gabe / Abraham
The head of the family is not distinguished by something special. Winston Duke did a great job, but his character pales in comparison to others. Abraham, the father of the mirror family, is presented in the form of brute force, but does not differ in intelligence or any other qualities.
Jason / Pluto
The son of the Wilson family is played by young Evan Alex. Despite a small role in all actions, the young talent managed to attract attention as a versatile actor.
Zora / Umbri
Another talent showed itself on the set. Shahadi Wright Joseph, who played Zora, is predicting a great future. She managed to show two different roles at the level of experienced stars. Her image of Umbri, with the eternal grin of a seasoned killer, is called frightening and infernal.
In general, apart from the image of the main character, there are no memorable characters. This is a basic set for the genre, but thanks to the skill of the main cast, the images seem alive, and you try to empathize with them.
reminiscences
There is at first sight no resemblance between “We” and “Away”. They have different content, but they demonstrate similar problems. Peel tries to highlight the difficulties of American reality through the prism of horror. This approach has become Jonathan’s hallmark, and in both horror films he raises the problems of inequality and oppression of different segments of the population.
Conclusion
With a budget of 20 million, the film earned 255 at the box office – this is a real genre success. At the same time, it is difficult to perceive the tape as a horror – the social context does not allow you to fully enjoy watching. The author tried to repeat the success of Get Out, but got too carried away with symbolism, which led to holes in the plot.
