If you watched the last Jordan Peele movie Get Out, then you know that the movie US is no typical horror film. Jordan Peele’s movies are multi-layered with deep and even deeper meaning. Similarly to Get Out, if you want to really understand or interpret this movie, you must look for the symbolism that is embedded throughout the film.
The first scene that caught my eye was with the homeless man carrying the sign that had Jeremiah 11:11. Right there in the movie theater, I pulled out my bible app to look for the scripture.
The King James Version 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 unto them.
Seeing this scripture so early in the film was a foreshadowing of the evil that would eventually come upon the Wilson family.
The theme of the movie seemed to be “We are our own worse enemies” because the enemy they are fighting are actually themselves. The major difference between the Wilson family and the Tethers (murderous clones) is that the Tethers wear red jumpsuits. In the movie “Us”, the color red signifies sin. The Wilson family is actually fighting against their sinful nature. There is a scene where they are all watching a news report about the murders. The news report shows what life will look like in a world where people gave in to their sinful desires and turned away from God. It is visible that the people in the society are losing the battle against themselves (sin) and their red clones are taking over (evil).
Another scene in the movie that stood out to me was when the families were at the beach and Mrs. Taylor (White family) and Mrs. Wilson were having a conversation. Mrs. Taylor seemed proud about her latest plastic surgery procedure to her face. She also seemed overly concerned about her appearance, the physical, not the spiritual.
In the New International Version of 2 Timothy 3: 1-5, it reads: But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.
This scripture basically highlights the characteristics of those who have turned away from God in the last days. Jordan Peele’s “Us” depicts the last days where people are more concerned about the physical (even duplicating the physical) rather than soul.
The title of the movie is “US”, but who is us? When I first saw the trailer, I immediately thought US was us, people fighting against themselves. But there is a scene in “US” where the Wilson family asks the Tethers “Who are you?” and they respond “We are Americans.” Jordan Peele skillfully writes with double meaning. “US” not only stands for us but it stands for the United States. I believe Jordan Peele is highlighting the sinful nature of Americans. We are so driven by self than in previous years. We have “selfies” and being selfish is no longer a bad word, it’s actually celebrated. Jordan Peele’s “US” is a warning for all humanity that there is a price to pay when we turn away from God and give in to our sinful nature.
Blog post written by Michellene Barrett Some Rights Reserved.