Not a lot of people know this, but in theatre --- in the Philippines, at least --- there will always be one or two writers in the playwrights' circle that is fond of "totally bonkers" deep noir horror, and Jordan Peele must be one of them.
Peele's third work "Us," which he wrote and directed, stars Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong'o as Adelaide and Winston Duke as Adelaide's husband Gabe, and Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex as Adelaide and Gabe's daughter and son Zora and Jason.
Note that I have read other reviews in order to understand the theme's roots on American history. These reviews cite the secret tunnels used by African-American slaves, and the political campaign Hands Across America by former US president Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Since I am incompetent over the subject of white American brutality and the enslavement of black Americans, the topics discussed here revolve on the main themes and symbolisms present in Us, with minimal spoilers, of course. Or a lot.
There are two elements floating throughout the film: Jeremiah 11:11 and the idea of coincidences. Jeremiah 11:11 in the Catholic bible reads: Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken (hearken means listen) unto them. Following the film's discussion on duality, "11:11" functions as a mirror for self-reflection and dual interpretations: that characters are taking a look at the depths of their persona, and that there are no singular interpretations. Some would think evil takes on the form of the self, but it could be the other way around, where the self is given the illusion of innocence for their ignorance while the Tethered are veiled; copying a life that isn't theirs and locked up underground and into oblivion.
What's most unsettling aren't the doppelgangers, but rather the soundtrack composed by Michael Abels who also worked on the music for Get Out. There were parts in the film that seemed as if the sound comes from random objects being thumped, and it is effective in inducing queasiness.
Perhaps what makes Peele's writing satisfying (both in Get Out and Us) is how he gives attention to tone in his framework, in which each transition is directed with a goal of evoking emotion into the audience just like Eric Heisserer's Lights Out (2016). And just like Heisserer's film, the exposition takes time for us to absorb the characters' personalities; a necessity since all four actors are portraying dual roles. Adelaide's insecurities are revealed; her quirks and pet peeves. By the time their duplicates are revealed, her acting was almost amusing to watch.
The Tethered gives a message of "the anguish of the shadow," they have a personality and yet have no literal individual movement of their own --- a shadow of a person considered "original" and residing on the surface. While other critics focused on the concept of doppelgangers and pairs reflected in 11:11 and the form of the scissors being two identical blades stuck together, another symbolism is that the Tethered's weapon of choice represents their aspiration: to be un-Tethered and cut the chains that bind them from people living on Earth's surface.
In a way, the film communicates to US (as in the United States) in an intrapersonal level. It internalises the dulcified approach on American brutality wherein propaganda campaigns like Hands Across America could inculcate fraudulent ideas of unity and producing band-aid solutions, which the Tethered used in their advantage. (Reviewers discussed how the Tethered got the knowledge of holding hands, but I'll redact it to avoid spoilers)
The ending of Us is reminiscent of Filipina actress Anne Curtis' horror film Wag Kang Lilingon (2006), roughly translated as "Don't Look Back," as well as other films having the similar shocker finale.