Us (2019)

Get Out wasn't a fluke. Jordan Peele is a beautiful film maker and a daring story teller. His Us is chilling and thought provoking horror, still in the vein of Twilight Zone but a little more straight up scarefest. He grabs you from the first disconcerting frame, through a troubling title sequences, and thrusts you into a terrifying tale without wasting any time teasing or faking out his audience. And when the ride is over it isn't easily digested or explained away. It is a conversation piece that will have you thinking about so much and checking over your shoulder.

Us does what a good horror movie needs to do; it delivers on its ending. Most horror, no matter how stylish or artful, just can't make a satisfying ending (I'm looking at you Susperia) but Us manages it threefold. It gives an in-story explanation which is satisfying, it also gives us an unnerving little twist (nothing Shayamalan shocking, just the right amount of twisting), and it leaves enough left unsaid that there is so much to discuss. What is the story really about? How does it make you feel? What does it all mean?

At the centre of this is Lupita Nyong'o giving an earth shattering performance. She is revelatory, complicated, and riveting. She's always good but here she reaches a new level. Horror is a genre that often gives female actors great roles and this is sure to be a classic. Peele films her and the rest of his cast with a striking colour palette making the film gorgeous to watch, I wanted to pause many frames just to take in his composition and structure. Plus his script is tonally perfect. He has just the right amount of humour without taking away from the gravity of his story. He balances all the emotions just so and delivers on making a truly rewarding film going experience.

Prepare to be scared and mesmerized and perplexed and stimulated. Us is the real deal. 

Us
Starring: Lupita Nyong'o, Winston Duke, Shahadi Wright, Evan Alex, Elizabeth Moss, Tim Heidecker, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Anna Diop
Writer/Director: Jordan Peele