Processing the WTF*ck Factor of Jordan Peele’s US | SXSW ’19

I shuddered. I peeped. I talked back to the screen, laughed (a lot) and jumped out of my skin at Jordan Peele’s US when it screened last night at the SXSW at the Paramount Theatre.

Just when you thought this brotha’ couldn’t get any deeper fusing horror as a translator for the state of affairs in America, Peele hits with a tale of intrigue from the vantage point of asking what are we really afraid of? “I want people to walk out this movie with ready to have clear commentary…this movie is about our country. We fear “the ‘other’…the mysterious invader, someone who has a differing political perspective or a stranger who doesn’t look like us. May the evil IS us'” Jordan said during the Q&A following the screening.

From the moment young Adelaide sees herself in the beach funhouse mirror, I knew I was in for the ride of my life. The 90’s references ever so slightly thrown at you in the form of Thriller and Jaws t-shirts, coupled with dialogue quips about plastic surgery, Black Swan references, subtle Jeremiah 11:11 Bible references and witty family banter provides much needed comic relief from those WTF moments make US a must see film.

Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Elisabeth Moss, Shadhadi Wright-Joseph, Evan Alex, Tim Heidecker, Cali and Noelle Sheldon should all be applauded for creating and pulling off double characters that are complex, compelling and scary as hell. Even Peele said that while shooting he was summoned to Nyong’o’s trailer where she scared the sh*it out of him.

This is the first role since winning the Academy Award, Lupita Nyong’o has an opportunity to really sink her teeth into displaying the full range of her astonishing talent. She carries it off brilliantly and left this sista’ right here sleeping with the lights on…lol. I love that Winston Duke was the nerdiest, most hilarious Dad ever in a horror film, who was truly not going down without a fight.

Kudos to Peele for making every person of color holler out loud at the fact that we are not the first the bite the dust, addressing issues like the bonds of mother and child, survival at all costs and paying homage to Hands Across America while making the statement we can accomplish more together than apart.

Peele is following in the footsteps of Oscar winner Barry Jenkins by having his sophomore film knock it out of the park!!! At the end of the day, US is a horror masterpiece brokered by the brilliant mind and talent of Jordan Peele, a filmmaker who will go down in cinematic history as one of our all-time greats in the genre of the macabre.

Produced by Monkeypaw and Universal Pictures, US hits theatres nationwide on March 22nd.