Us (2019)

A young wife (Lupita Nyong'o) is on vacation with her husband (Winston Duke) and two children (Shahadi Wright, Evan Alex) at a lakeside home near Santa Cruz, California where she grew up. But she has held back a horrific memory that occurred when she was a child and now that memory will come to the surface when her home is invaded by and the family is attacked by a family that is remarkably just like them. Directed by Jordan Peele (GET OUT), this sophomore effort proves that GET OUT was no fluke and we are in the hands of a major talent. Stylish and terrifying, US is more of an out and out horror movie than GET OUT but Peele still clearly has more on his mind than just scares. While GET OUT dealt with the race issues still plaguing our society, US broadens that by dealing with the oppressed regardless of color, the disenfranchised and exploited under classes under the feet of the privileged, literally in this case. The cast all play their character and their doppelganger which allows them even more range. The acting is excellent, all anchored by Nyong'o's potent performance. This is thinking man's horror but one can still see the influences of other works, notably Romero's NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD and the TWILIGHT ZONE episode MIRROR IMAGE with Vera Miles. The underscore by Michael Abels is sensational. With Elisabeth Moss and Tim Heidecker as family friends and the movie could have used more of them. Definitely recommended.