Review | Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’ is unique, but mostly confusing

Peele’s long awaited film “Us,” starring Lupita Nyong’o, gives a more diverse face to horror. The R-rated movie premiered on March 22. IMDb

“Us” is a horror movie directed by Jordan Peele, who also worked on the movie “Get Out,” another horror film which is centered around racial issues. I’m more scared of racism than ghosts, trust me. And “Us” blew my mind. 

Peele’s work has an impact on Hollywood by changing the face of horror in the movie industry. The strides made in diversifying Hollywood in the last couple of years are possible because of directors like Peele, and recognizing that 10 years ago, a story would not have been told is important. 

While “Us” focuses on a black family, the movie is not centered on race. It plays with the powerful theme of self-identity in a very careful way. I found the film confusing, but maybe that was the point.

For one, I was so confused about the concept of the “tethered selves.” From what I understood, each character had a clone. The evil clones came up from the sewers, where they had been living, to murder their doppelganger with a pair of golden scissors. The tethered clones wear red jumpsuits, reminiscent of blood, and have gold scissors, which I think represent cutting ties.

How were they created? What is their purpose for revealing themselves? Why were they underground? Why do they want to kill their other halves? Lupita Nyong’o’s character Adelaide Wilson carried the whole movie. Her alter ego tells us that the clones have lived in darkness for too long. It was clear that the alter egos living underground in isolation was intentional.

I’m not sure another actor could have played the mother’s role other than Lupita Nyong’o. The brave faces she puts on when she’s about to give a character a beatdown in order to protect her family give you a sense of fearlessness as she quickly becomes the heroine you root for — which is why it’s shocking to see her alter ego be so different.

If you’re looking for a film that works to expand your consciousness, has a diverse cast, a great lead and combines comedy with horror and thriller genres, I would suggest seeing “Us.” Maybe you’ll find more clues than I did about how all the pieces fit together.