Us (2019) - You Need to Watch it Twice

When I first watched Us (2019), my gut reaction at the twist was - not bad, but I didn't like it. (I did, however, love the rest of the movie!) I did the classic thing (which I hate) of googling the ending to have it explained by someone else. And I did, begrudgingly, understand the point Peele was making.

I let it sit, and came to the conclusion that we just don't like our 'good guys' to really be 'bad guys.' Which was exactly the question the twist posed - who was 'good' and who was 'bad.'

I watched Us again recently, and it was a changed experience knowing the twist. First off, the muddle of information at the beginning of the movie made sense; there's a genius in that we have seen the whole plot in the first five minutes. Tunnels, hands across America, funfair scene, rabbits. Then Adelaide's dialogue, her hesitancy to go to the beach because she's scared her reflection is catching up with her, has much more nuance. Her reaction to Red and sympathy to the tethered is less compassion and more - recognition that's who she could have been. (I know, the message of the movie.)

Red changes as a character too. She is less evil without a cause; her cause is revenge. It's a revenge story, but we're on the side of the one who caused the hurt. It gives the whole story a much more tragic feel. No one is happy in this outcome. (And "test from God," makes SO much more sense. It gives so much insight into this character's mindset, and a classic tragic downfall to the end.)

Both Adelaide and Red are, of course, played by Lupita Nyong'o, who smashes the performance. Adelaide is a new-age scream queen - she kills even when handcuffed! She's strong and the heart of her family...just like Red...The iconic first meeting scene gives me chills all over no matter how many times I watch it. Her gestures, eyes - tears all pack so much emotion into the scene you forget there are three (six?) other people in that room.

Of course, there's Red's iconic husky voice, which showed a real control of vocal range. It garnered controversy, though, as Nyong'o said it was inspired by spasmodic dysphonia. Sufferers of the condition were hurt that it would be used to up the 'creep factor' for a horror movie, and she duly apologised for causing offence. But, whilst the voice is creepy, I thought it made perfect sense for Red's backstory. The rest of the Tethered cannot speak at all. When we first watch the movie, we assume Red speaks this way because she is entirely self-taught, and her voice is underused. The second time, we realise it's because of the conditions she's lived in for so long that's had this effect on her. I can't say whether it's offensive or not, but my two-cents worth is that it worked in the story of the movie.

But what about the rest of the cast? Winston Duke plays a character full of dad-cringe (in a good way)who pulled his own weight without being a macho action hero. It was great to see a couple work together and for the husband to trust his wife can handle this. Some of the jokes didn't quite land, particularly when they were interrupting such dramatic scenes, but others hit the nail on the head. Both kids do a great job of feeling like kids. Not to mention, everyone playing a twisted version of themselves.

Another thing that is interesting on the re-watch is the use of language. Repeated phrases - tether - drum in the message of the theme whilst showing how limited Red's vocabulary really is. It's subtle but makes the writing feel cohesive.

The main criticism of the film comes from how the tethered's world works - how they can survive all that raw rabbit. I do think this was the under cooked component, and things get no clearer from a re-watch. But does it really matter? It's a horror movie - we've accepted that there are clones of everyone in America - do we have to know all the logistics to enjoy the carnage and get the message?

Overall, the film makes us of repeated dialogue and images to create a tight narrative with lots to say. The characters only get richer on each re-watch. So if you saw Us once, try watching it again - from your tethered's point of view.