Social life.
Decent stab at unsettling thriller
US (CERT 15) ◆◆◆ ADELAIDE Wilson (Lupita Nyong’o) is a fiercely protective mum to Zora (Shahadi Wright Joseph) and Jason (Evan Alex).
She travels with husband Gabe (Winston Duke) and the kids to the family’s beach house to reconnect with friends Josh and Kitty Tyler and their twin daughters.
Late one night, Jason interrupts his mother with disturbing news: “There’s a family in our driveway.”
Us is a stylish home invasion thriller from writer-director Jordan Peele but lacks the persistent itch of his Oscarwinning horror Get Out.
It is more bloodthirsty than its predecessor, obliquely referencing The Shining and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, as a family of four is held hostage by gnarled, scissor-wielding doppelgangers.
Nyong’o delivers a tour-de-force performance that could earn her an Oscar nomination, while Duke provides fleeting comic relief. Wright Joseph and Alex impress in support.
Composer Michael Abels appropriates the melody of hip-hop duo Luniz’s summer anthem I Got 5 On It as the discordant theme of his soundtrack, which underscores each twist in a tangled narrative.
Peele’s film is unsettling rather than white-knuckle terrifying and there are no conventional jump scares.
Every stab or slash is telegraphed and the script’s coup de grace is evident by the chronologically fractured structure. ● Available digitally on Monday.