Us (2019)

Jordan Peele’s Us is a film that centers on the suppression of monstrosity. The film follows a family whose weekend getaway is ruined when they begin to be terrorized by a group of their doppelgangers. Throughout the film, Adelaide attempts to push away the monstrosity that she consciously or subconsciously knows lives within her. As she attempts to masquerade as a “normal” wife and mother, her inhumanity begins to peek through. This can be seen in small, often overlooked moments such as the scene which depicts Adelaide unable to follow along with the rhythm of a song. However, as the tension of the film increases, Adelaide’s facade of normalcy unravels. When attacking the “tethered” versions of her family, Adelaide seems to revel in the fact that she can finally express the aggression within her. Even more unnerving is the fact that Adelaide’s children also begin to exude this aggression. Adelaide’s daughter, Zora, kills the tethered without hesitation. In one chilling scene, Zora’s brutal violence is a mirror of the actions of her tethered counterpart. The civility that separates the tethered from their supernal counterparts throughout the entire film is instantly shattered by Zora’s actions, further demonstrating  the danger of suppressed monstrosity. 

Adelaide's suppressed monstrosity reaches a breaking point in the final confrontation between her and Red. In order to kill Red and attempt to preserve the life of normalcy she has crafted for herself, Adelaide is forced to give in to the monstrosity she has kept hidden for her entire life. In killing Red with her bare hands, Adelaide lets out an animalistic scream, the manifestation of her monstrosity finally being freed within her. In the film’s closing scene, Adelaide is back in her normal life, her family seemingly none the wiser about her hidden identity as one of the tethered. However, a quick, knowing glance between Adelaide and her son leaves the audience wondering how long this relative peace will last. After all, when the monster you have suppressed for your entire  life is given a hint of freedom, it is unwilling to remain chained. 4 out of 5 sacs of blood.

—Mikayla Cassidy