We, Jordan Peele, should consolidate his status as master of modern horror

<img src = "https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/USTOP2-800×534.jpg" alt = "Lupita Nyong'o plays the role of Adelaide Wilson, whose family faces its own evil Doppelgängers in the new horror film of Jordan Peele, We. "/>

A family is terrorized by its own doppelgängers on vacation in Santa Cruz in the new film by Jordan Peele, We. With his writing, his rhythm and his fantastic performances, the film should consolidate Peele's status as a master of modern horror.

(The sweetest of spoilers below, because nothing more would spoil the fun.)

We is the long-awaited follow-up of get outPeele's surprise box office success, which grossed more than $ 250 million, has awarded Peele the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. It's the first time that the prize goes to a black winner. get out is a subtle exploration of racial tensions that is quietly constructed to reveal its horrifying premises and its inevitably bloody conclusion. In WeThe theme is not so much the racial tension it addresses, it's exploring, in Peele's words, the myriad of ways in which "we are our worst enemies."

Adelaide (Lupita Nyong'o) and Gabe (Winston Duke) Wilson take their two children (Shahadi Wright Joseph and Evan Alex) to the beach to relax and unwind with friends (one of them played by Elizabeth Moss) . Their young son, Jason, meets a strange figure on the beach and, that night, four other mysterious figures show up at the Wilson's summer home. They burst in, and that's when the real terror begins – these numbers are scary Doppelgängers each member of the family. (Peele called "the Tethered.")

It 's about a classic horror scenario killing or killing to be killed for most of the second act of the movie, with a lot of fears of jumps and just enough d & # 39; humor extracts to prevent things from getting too heavy. (I loved the different family members who were arguing over who had the highest mortality rate.) But Peele could never stop there. he still has a few more turns in his sleeve. This time there is a network of abandoned underground tunnels, a secret laboratory, Jeremiah 11:11, and an insane version of the 1986 campaign to combat the hungry in the world, Hands Across America. To say something else would spoil the pleasure.

Hot catches and reflections are already starting to emerge on what We in the end "means", especially to analyze the last turn at the end (telegraphed early for the eagle-eyed viewer). Is the film a metaphor for the darker and more violent aspects of our individual natures? Or does it say something about "the invisible belly hidden under every sunny American dream"? Maybe the movie tells of a rise in your own hell or the stigma of mental illness? Can it be an elaborate commentary on capitalism, slavery and getting up to overthrow its oppressors? If none of this suits you, the Peele movie can certainly be appreciated as a first-rate horror entertainment, without it being necessary to give a deeper meaning.

"The feeling that we all feel like being the good guy in our own history prevents us from facing our demons."

Make your choice. This is the benefit of Peele's decision to keep things ambiguous enough to leave room for many personal interpretations and speculations. What is We finally about? Well, what do you think? It acts as a mirror for the public. This may frustrate some viewers who love a well-wrapped movie end, but I found that the uncertainty and unanswered questions left me thinking about what I had seen for much longer than the average movie. The questions enrich the overall experience.

That's not to say that Peele does not have his own vision of the themes of his film. "The feeling that we all feel like the good guy in our own history is keeping us from facing our demons," he recently told the Los Angeles Times. "I wanted to make a film that allows everyone to confront his demons, regardless of which faction you want to submit this film to through the prism of. But as a starting point … the United States and our xenophobia were at the center of our concerns. "

As get outit's the horror that makes you think, and it's already doing business at the box office. That said, We does not quite reach the artistic height of its Oscar-winning predecessor. In particular, his ambitious basic project begins to force the voluntary suspension of his disbelief to the breaking point of the third act. But in the end, it's always a beautiful achievement, very creative and very creative, which makes us even more eager to see what Peele does with his next film. blurred area restart on CBS All Access.