Us and Them

One of my favourite American television series was a science fiction show, called “Fringe.” The first episodes focused mainly on gruesome and mysterious occurrences that were investigated and solved with science. Eventually, “Fringe” explored the concept of other versions of us existing in parallel universes. Fringe, especially in the first three seasons, was gold for those who are fascinated by mysteries, the weird or the complex. I found most if not every episode overwhelmingly impressive. However, seasons four and five were underwhelming. The series had established a brilliant storyline occurring between universes only to diverge from it in the last two seasons, leaving many unanswered questions.

Since “Fringe,” I have often thought about what if there were indeed other versions of us existing somewhere in parallel universes. We may wonder about better and worse versions of ourselves, especially when we are confronted with the challenges of living and questioning the point of life.

Any expression of art that explores other worlds or different versions of us intrigues me. For this reason, I was eager to see Jordan’s Peele’s second film, “Us.” The writer and director’s first film, “Get Out,” I enjoyed. I thought it was brilliant storytelling through which themes, such as racism in America, were explored but like never told before. I am bored by predictable storytelling or stories that are too simple, which “Get Out” was not and “Us” also is not. However, I did not like “Us.” While I appreciate artistic expressions that challenge my understanding, there must be some cohesiveness from what is presented. I think the exposition was satisfactory, but the series of events in the rising action could have occurred much earlier. Once the film reached the point of crisis, it became chaotic and dwelled more on gore than stimulation of the mind. But maybe all those aspects were deliberate on the part of Peele when I think about what I resolved was the overall message of the film. Still, characters making decisions that deviated from their archetype did not intrigue or fascinate me. But again, all those choices were perhaps deliberate when we consider the nature of man and how circumstances can tarnish our original traits or character.