I don’t recommend Jordan Peele’s Us (2019) if, like me, you suffer from insomnia. But I give high praise to the film, a piece of cinematic “identity horror and a dark reflection on America’s past and present.” And now, Inventory Press, has released Us: The Complete Annotated Screenplay, which delves deep into the “psychological torment and old-world suspense-building plot twists,” as the publisher puts it.
Peele has committed his film-savvy to horror using urban legends such as doppelgangers “to tease out the uniquely American perceptions of xenophobia.” As critic Monica Castillo wrote of the film, “Us is another thrilling exploration of the past and oppression this country is still too afraid to bring up. Peele wants us to talk, and he’s given audiences the material to think, to feel our way through some of the darker sides of the human condition.”
The new book explores alternate endings and deleted scenes, along with over 150 stills. This veritable reader’s guide includes annotations by hannah baer, Theaster Gates, Jamieson Webster, Jared Sexton, Mary Ping, Shana Redmond and Leila Taylor, who individually and collectively present “a cosmology of images, definitions and inspirations that extend the themes of the film.”
Inventory Press’ Adam Michaels is a known fan of 1960s paperbacks that documented the period’s most emblematic mainstream and avant-garde movies. Likewise, Us is an invaluable guide to a deeper understanding of this important film.