By: Denise Kyeremeh (’23), Staff Writer
“We’ve been waiting for so long. I call it the untethering.”
Jordan Peele’s Us was highly anticipated when it was released in 2019. Following Peele’s debut film Get Out, audiences were excited to decode another psychological thriller chalk full of twists and clues that would require multiple viewings to comprehend.
The film’s main character, Adelaide Wilson, walks into a house of mirrors as a child, where she discovers another little girl. One that looks just like her. Decades later Adelaide is on vacation with her family when another family appears in their driveway. One that looks just like them. The doppelgängers are a governmental experiment gone wrong. The Tethered are the unspoken underbelly of society who reside below ground. Their lives are connected to their above ground counterparts. They go through the same things but all of their experiences are dull, cold, and painful. Peele created a riveting commentary on race and class in American society.
Although it was only released a year ago, the film could be understood through a unique lens of 2020.
The film captures the dynamic interaction between the “Other” and self. During the first scene with both families, Adelaide’s husband Gabe asked, “What are you people?” To which Adelaide’s Tether, Red responded, “We’re Americans.” While the line garnered laughs in the theater, it was also significant in understanding the role of the Tethered in the film. Not only do they look just like the un-Tethered, they share the same identity, citizenship, and humanity.
Anyone watching the film most likely related to the un-Tethered Wilson family, who drove a Mercedes and spent vacation days on the beach. But the Tethered reveal the connection we all have to each other, particularly the people we want to avert our eyes from. Initially, I saw the Tethered as representing the people who make us uncomfortable in society like poor,homeless, or elderly populations. These groups remind people of their privilege. People fall into an “us versus them” mentally and fight each other from opposing sides, villainizing one another rather than uniting. In Us, this discord caused bloodshed when the Tethered finally revolted, demanding to be seen. 2020 has brought a new meaning to being seen. The pandemic has shifted our perspective and we have had to pay attention to all populations. The pandemic impacts all people and it will take everyone’s cooperation to mitigate it.
The entire movie is built on the idea of doubles but equally as important is the idea of reflection. Red reflects to Adelaide an unfortunate yet plausible reality. It could have been Adelaide in Red’s position. The audience has to wrestle with the concept of blame. Whose fault is it that the underprivileged exist?The number 11 is significant throughout the film. The Bible verse Jeremiah 11:11 is shown in the film through the its time jumps. The verse is about the destruction that God allows to come on Israel after they have forgotten their past. According to Vox writer Alissa Wilkinson, the verse is warning for those who have “forgotten their country’s history of oppression and bloodshed.” The significance draws parallels to America’s erasure of its dark history.
Us almost perfectly speaks to the incidents of civil unrest in 2020. The Tethered evoked terror but, there is something familiar and dauntingly beautiful about their uprising. Driven by their need to have their humanity acknowledged, they were dedicated to their cause. The terror of their protests aligns with the fear and danger that accompany great social change.
Many believe that after the elections of President Obama, we are living in a post-racial America. 2020 has brought a new perspective on where we are as a nation. Although the Black Lives Matter movement has been actively protesting the unjust deaths of Black people for years, the recent killing of George Floyd sparked protests across all 50 states and in at least 1,700 cities worldwide, according to USA Today. Decades of covering over the looming racial tension has caused frustrated Americans to use their voices, garnering international attention and solidarity. Now, institutions and companies are recognizing their lack of commitment to opposing racism. Employers are looking internally to see how they can foster a safe environment for all their employees. These changes are long overdue and it is disappointing that America had to experience its own horror story for people to realize the need for the anti-racist destruction of American systems.
Sources:
Number of protests: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/graphics/2020/06/03/map-protests-wake-george-floyds-death/5310149002/
Vox article: https://www.vox.com/culture/2019/3/20/18274105/us-review-jordan-peele-jeremiah-doppelganger
