Here Are The Ten Most Compelling Fan Theories About Jordan Peele’s ‘Us’
Jordan Peele's Us has arguably been the most talked about and theorized film release of the year, with fans itching to learn what other viewers thought of the work.
While we did a rundown of the most outstanding theories pulled from the film's trailer back in December 2018, now that the movie has hit the masses, we're following up with the theories fans have concluded after seeing the movie in its entirety.
Warning! Don't read any further if you're not looking to dive head-first into spoilers.
From full organizing principle theories spanning the themes observed from the entire film to compelling individual observations and Easter eggs fans noticed while viewing, we take a look at every angle of the mysterious and socially conscious work.
See what fans are saying about Jordan Peele's latest trending masterpiece, below:
***SPOILER ALERT***
The Horror of Double Consciousness
The concept of "double consciousness" was perfectly laid out by Twitter user @kyalbr, who, citied W.E.B. Du Bois' theory on the term which states that there is a duality Black people are haunted by — "What we think white people think of us, and what we think of ourselves."
He went on to explain that this proved to be a common theme in both Us and its predecessor, Get Out, with both films being viewed as "expressions of those two anxieties." Take a look at his fully detailed supporting comments, below:
Jordan Peele Is Creating His Own Cinematic Universe
Continuing along the thread of both Get Out and Us being related — at least, by the fans' perspectives — another viewer concluded that Peele is creating his own shared cinematic universe where both films are, somehow, intertwined.
After referencing Peele's past commentary on the "secret society" in Get Out being the descendants of the Knights Templar, one Reddit user gave a history of the group, outlining its eerie history, before tying it into his latest work.
"The Knights Templar are the secret society from Get Out and are responsible for the clones in Us."
Now, that would be wild.
Both Hidden And Blatant 'Rabbit' Imagery
While the rabbit imagery proved to be one of the most noticeable elements fans gripped to since the trailer for Us was released, more detailed and fleshed out theories on the animal's involvement in the plot are now rolling in.
As previously reported, the rabbit usage all throughout the promo images and trailer seemed pretty blatant, but this user, upon seeing the film, made more connections that many may have missed. Zora Wilson's shirt had different takes on the rabit theme, throughout the film, in addition to the majorly rabbit-centric intro.
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Peele, himself, also shared some personal thoughts on rabbits at SXSW, stressing that while they appear adorable and loving from afar, if you look into a rabbit's eyes, "They have the brain of a sociopath."
"If you put a rabbit brain in a human body, you have Michael Myers, the killer. There's no empathy," he said.
Take a look, below:
The Film Is A Metaphor For Poverty
In another impeccably dissected theory — that was approved by Peele, himself — one fan concluded that the "underlying theme" in the film is poverty as the "shadows" of the main characters/the "Red" family live underground, near the sewers.
"Red mentions that they eat cold, raw rabbit, they don't have good quality of life, and everyone on the surface takes what they have for granted. The copies are the impoverished, the lowest class," the viewer wrote.
He went on to explain the stark differences between the Wilson family and the Red family to further support his theory, making it that much easier to believe.
The Film Was Built Around The Theme Of Social Inequality
Arguably the most common takeaway from the film, for many, is its exploration of the theme of social inequality and privilege.
This Reddit user saw the "shadow" family as a representation of "those of us who were born poor or underprivileged" and wanting what the Wilson family, which represented more opportunity, had.
In a heavily detailed explanation, the user compared just about every facet of both "families" to prove that the nucleus of the film was social inequality and the differing accessibilities to resources and luxuries (boats, vacation homes, etc.).
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Duality
As Winston Duke, who plays Gabe Wilson in the film, articulated during his recent interview on Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club, there is no good or bad person in the film.
This brings about the next theory which supports his claim, adding that the theme of duality rings throughout the film as the tethered (the "Red" family), which was assumed to be villainous on the surface, may not be such at all. In fact, it all may boil down to whose perspective the story is being told from.
"Perhaps in their own world, they view the protagonists to be the ones that have stolen their lives and now they must kill them," the user wrote.
Hence, the concept of "good vs. evil" is null and void.
11:11
"11:11" is often seen throughout the film in a variety of ways, with fans concluding that the mirroring numbers represent the Wilsons and their doppelgängers, while others specifically took to the Bible passage referenced through the numbers: Jeremiah 11:11.
The Bible verse, when translated into English in the King James Bible, reads, "Therefore thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon them, which they shall not be able to escape; and though they shall cry unto me, I will not hearken unto them."
The frankly eerie and gloomy passage isn't a widely used verse in film, but as one viewer pointed out, it could represent the bond between Man and the "tethered," as well as Adelaide's clone Red's drive to get revenge without any change of redemption or compromise.
The "Red" Family Represent Dismissed Elements Of A Modern Family
While "family" is surely one of the most obvious and surface-level themes of the film, the differing dynamics shown between the two main groups lends to some serious thought.
As @LastGeeksDying explained, the "tethered" family may represent older and more traditional ethics and practices that the Wilsons may have abandoned for their new, more privileged lives.
"It's not by chance that this is a more affluent Black family that has a family home and a boat, but not a nice boat," he wrote. "The family is seemingly more integrated with white stereotypes and creating a further distance between themselves and their shadow counterparts."
This also seems to be an extension of the previously mentioned double consciousness and poverty-themed theories.
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Usage Of NWA's "F**k Da Police"
Arguably one of the scenes that received the most rousing response from the audience was the carefully placed audio clip of NWA's "F**k Da Police."
As the Wilsons' white friends were being murdered by their tethered clones in their glass-walled mansion, Kitty Tyler (Elisabeth Moss) asked their virtual assistant to call the police in her dying breath. Instead, the machine interpreted her words as "Play 'F**k Da Police,'"
While it served as some comic relief for the audience, the song's placement seemed strategic to others, who harkened back to a moment when Adelaide's character called the cops when their clones invaded their home. She said they were "14 minutes away," but they never came.
Young Jason Wilson was also a tether
Lastly, while Jason Wilson was labeled as "odd" throughout the film by a few other characters, he rarely spoke. He even had an unexpected connection with his tethered clone, who he knew would follow his motion and back into the flames to his death.
At the end of the film, both he and who viewers discovered was the "imposter" Adelaide, made eye contact, as he was seemingly the only one who knew her true identity. This user, however, further concluded that he, himself, was not who his family thought he was.
Are there any theories that we missed that you think need to be acknowledged? Drop them in the comments!
Us is currently playing in theaters, everywhere.
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