Us (2019)
Written and Directed: Jordan Peele
We think that we deserve the life we are leading, that everybody else there is to serve us, that the Universe owes us a living. We live under a false assumption that we merit the comforts and luxuries that are showered upon us. We demand that the little people be subservient to us. "You know who I am?" we tell them.
It only takes a single catastrophe to turn the tables. When the balance is tipped, when equilibrium is tilted because of man-made or natural catastrophe, pandemonium would rule. There would be no niceties. The hierarchical order of the societies would crumble. The Master-Servant role would be reversed. For survival, one has fight tooth and nail.
In my opinion, the above message is subtly conveyed in Jordan Peele's latest blockbuster 'Us'. At the word go, it is staring right at our face. The symbolism in this movie can only be rivalled by Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code'. 'Us' may imply that the story is the US, the country! The word 'us' of late has been used as a confrontational tool - us, the citizens of the greatest country of the world versus the rest of the sub-human countries of the world; either you are with us or against us etcetera. The people who the USA had wronged over the years, like their interference on the affairs of the Central and the South American countries, are arriving in convoys and banging at their doorsteps, screaming to come in. And the established US citizens are not willing to part with their share of the American pie.
'Us' the movie also tries to incorporate many established urban legends. There is a mention of a secret Government project to clone people to aid in their nefarious activities. Somehow the project failed miserably and the doppelgangers were screaming to reclaim their lives as the other. The only successful part of the project is the tunnels that all under the USA.
That brings us to the frequent mention of 1986 campaign 'Hands across America', the time when the lead character goes missing in a funfair and swaps places with her cloned double. This initiative was run along the lines of 'USA for Africa' - to collect money from well-meaning and well-to-do Americans to help the needy. Even though it is humanly impossible to join hands across America coast to coast, bearing in mind the terrain of the continent, the organisers made everyone believe that it was possible. In the film, unlike the people above, who could not complete the human chain, the 'Tethered People' (the products of the clone) had a complete tunnel beneath. It goes to show our insincerity in helping people. We create an illusion of prosperity when in actuality we are not. We think we are happy but we have to pacify ourselves in alcohol, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, immersed in the culture of over-consumption and addicted to our hand-held devices to fool ourselves into believing that we are indeed happy.
Fake too is the 'Hands Across America' project. It failed to reach its target but only raised the stardom of the personalities involved. The 'haves' only seems to show that they empathised the 'have nots' and have them in their heart and mind. In reality, it is just lip service. They want them to stay at the impoverished levels. They do not want them to have equal footing with the rest.
The oppressed or the underprivileged will rise. When that happens, in short, nothing can stop. There is a frequent reference to a biblical passage, Jeremiah 11.11, in the film. It forecasts a bleak future for the surface dwellers, for they shall not able to escape despite their pleas to God. It was referenced to God wrath to idol worshippers in Babylon.
In short, it was an interesting movie. Forget the horror genre attached to it. It would be more fun knowing that there are more than meets the eye. Having a background of the symbolism appearing in the flick makes it doubly captivating.
Written and Directed: Jordan Peele
We think that we deserve the life we are leading, that everybody else there is to serve us, that the Universe owes us a living. We live under a false assumption that we merit the comforts and luxuries that are showered upon us. We demand that the little people be subservient to us. "You know who I am?" we tell them.
It only takes a single catastrophe to turn the tables. When the balance is tipped, when equilibrium is tilted because of man-made or natural catastrophe, pandemonium would rule. There would be no niceties. The hierarchical order of the societies would crumble. The Master-Servant role would be reversed. For survival, one has fight tooth and nail.
In my opinion, the above message is subtly conveyed in Jordan Peele's latest blockbuster 'Us'. At the word go, it is staring right at our face. The symbolism in this movie can only be rivalled by Dan Brown's 'Da Vinci Code'. 'Us' may imply that the story is the US, the country! The word 'us' of late has been used as a confrontational tool - us, the citizens of the greatest country of the world versus the rest of the sub-human countries of the world; either you are with us or against us etcetera. The people who the USA had wronged over the years, like their interference on the affairs of the Central and the South American countries, are arriving in convoys and banging at their doorsteps, screaming to come in. And the established US citizens are not willing to part with their share of the American pie.
'Us' the movie also tries to incorporate many established urban legends. There is a mention of a secret Government project to clone people to aid in their nefarious activities. Somehow the project failed miserably and the doppelgangers were screaming to reclaim their lives as the other. The only successful part of the project is the tunnels that all under the USA.That brings us to the frequent mention of 1986 campaign 'Hands across America', the time when the lead character goes missing in a funfair and swaps places with her cloned double. This initiative was run along the lines of 'USA for Africa' - to collect money from well-meaning and well-to-do Americans to help the needy. Even though it is humanly impossible to join hands across America coast to coast, bearing in mind the terrain of the continent, the organisers made everyone believe that it was possible. In the film, unlike the people above, who could not complete the human chain, the 'Tethered People' (the products of the clone) had a complete tunnel beneath. It goes to show our insincerity in helping people. We create an illusion of prosperity when in actuality we are not. We think we are happy but we have to pacify ourselves in alcohol, rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous, immersed in the culture of over-consumption and addicted to our hand-held devices to fool ourselves into believing that we are indeed happy.
Fake too is the 'Hands Across America' project. It failed to reach its target but only raised the stardom of the personalities involved. The 'haves' only seems to show that they empathised the 'have nots' and have them in their heart and mind. In reality, it is just lip service. They want them to stay at the impoverished levels. They do not want them to have equal footing with the rest. The oppressed or the underprivileged will rise. When that happens, in short, nothing can stop. There is a frequent reference to a biblical passage, Jeremiah 11.11, in the film. It forecasts a bleak future for the surface dwellers, for they shall not able to escape despite their pleas to God. It was referenced to God wrath to idol worshippers in Babylon.
In short, it was an interesting movie. Forget the horror genre attached to it. It would be more fun knowing that there are more than meets the eye. Having a background of the symbolism appearing in the flick makes it doubly captivating.
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