Film Review - Us (15)

Once upon a time there was a girl, and the girl had a shadow.

How do you follow up a legit horror phenomenon? Seriously - as a second-time feature director, whose first film dangled the horror genre from its ankles and shook it till its tropes rattled, where do you go? In Jordan Peele's case it's from the darkly funny and politically confrontational Get Out to something even more imaginative and conceptually bizarre. And if your new narrative eventually threatens to buckle under the sheer weight of insane ideas, that's just the price you pay for thinking big. Welcome to Us, a whole new kind of nightmare.

Lupita Nyong'o is Adelaide Wilson, a suburban mom on vacation in Santa Cruz with her husband Gabe and children Zora and Jason. Her relaxing getaway is marred, however, by memories of a traumatising childhood encounter that took place not far from her grown-up holiday home. In a fairground hall of mirrors little Adelaide confronted an alternative version of herself she is still convinced was more than a reflection. Gabe may struggle to hide his skepticism, but when night falls, the Wilson family is disturbed by a group of four strangers outside their lakehouse - strangers with an unsettlingly familiar appearance and malevolent intent. Mom's childhood doppelganger has returned, and she's not alone.

It's one of those ideas so simple and instantly disturbing - that of meeting yourself, only not yourself - that you wonder no one turned it into a film years before. Peele is clearly in love with the concept, having crafted the appearance and behaviour of the 'other' family into something deliciously chilling and instantly iconic. He allows you enough time to relax in the company of the regular Wilsons too, so that you feel the twistedness on meeting their opposite numbers.

This is a gift premise for the central four, particularly Nyong'o. The Oscar-winning support player from 12 Years a Slave, Star Wars and Black Panther finally gets the kind of lead (make that double-lead) she so richly deserves, and lord does she make the most of it. As Adelaide she's wary and quietly intense, before the external threat sends her into focused alpha-mom overdrive. And as her own malicious alter-ego 'Red' - that you simply have to witness for yourself. Put them together and it's powerhouse stuff. 

Her fellow Black Panther graduate Winston Duke is a far cry from tribal leader M'Baku this time around. As wannabe cool-dad Gabe he injects welcome humour into the increasingly sinister proceedings, even if he is singularly unequipped to deal with them. And the family is convincingly rounded off by Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex as Zora and Jason. Both have a whale of a time with the physicality of their dual roles, Wright Joseph proving particularly impressive as she's forced to confront her (kind-of) self.

The other major player is Peele, exhibiting remarkable precision and control for a second-time director, as he brings his own screenplay to life. This is shrewdly and imaginatively crafted work in every shot. Its horror jump-scare impulse is admirably reined in; Us is all about gradually brewed menace, shot through with just enough comedy to make for a great ride. Peele's use of music is startlingly good too, whether the Omen-esque choral themes of composer Michael Abels (also his collaborator on Get Out) or a spiky reworking of Luniz' 'I've Got 5 On It' (a track you'll never listen to the same way again). 

If there's a divisive aspect, that'll be the movie's sheer narrative overreach. While Get Out explicitly dealt with race, this story has a broader, less easily defined scope, lending itself to multiple interpretations. It goes to truly mind-bending places, particularly in the final act, where the reveal of the underlying truth may simply be too much to swallow - or at least require an explanation of the metaphorical variety to make it palatable. There's more going on here than Peele bothers to explain, so be prepared to mine its philosophical depths afterwards for your own answers. 

Whether or not it bites off more than it can comfortably chew, Us works just fine on every other level - as a horror, a suspense flick and a funny-scary family drama. It's also an early contender in the 2019 'most original film' contest. And believe me it'll take some beating.

Gut Reaction: Fascination, intrigue, tension, disbelief, frustration, shock. All of which resulted in quite the physical workout.

Memorable Moment: 8.5. Wilson family, meet the other Wilson family.

Ed's Verdict: 8.5/10. Jordan Peele's credentials as a horror auteur and cinematic Zen-master are confirmed. Watch him rip up the rule-book (again) and then go back for a re-watch. I know I will.