Jordan Peele has made two films, Get Out and Us – extremely thoughtful horror films which reflect varying aspects of our current society. While Get Out tackled race relations under the guise of a kidnapping film, Us goes broader in its reach and forces us to look at the underbelly of America. The title alone – Us – makes us wonder about the flipside of that simple two-letter word: who is “them“? I cover a lot of this in my review at Gunaxin, but here’s a little bonus content; I couldn’t find the space or transitions to include these little nuggets. Read the review here.
* Michael Abels, music composer of Get Out, returns to push Peele’s visuals beyond the unsettling into the downright disturbing with his atmospheric score. Again, the film starts its opening credit sequence (using the same font as Get Out‘s credits, colored red instead of blue) with a choral arrangement whose lyrics might once again be a portent of the film which follows.
* At one point, a song by N.W.A. is prominently featured in an action scene. The lyrics “When I’m finished, it’s gonna be a bloodbath” provide a darkly hilarious joke regarding what’s happening and what’s about to happen. (I might’ve been the only one laughing at this.)
* Peele has stated this film is directly inspired by an episode of “The Twilight Zone” called “Mirror Image.” Watching it might prove useful to your enjoyment of Us.
* The film’s post-prologue scene features “I Got 5 On It” by Luniz, which gets recycled into an orchestral version later in the film. Listen for it.
* Cinematographer Mike Gioulakis deserves full credit for making every frame meaningful and vital. (It’s also telling that the directors he works with choose not to render his photography worthless by overediting.) Check out his work in It Follows and Split.
