I really enjoyed Jordan Peele’s US. There’s a lot of symbolism and themes in the film. One of the most prominent symbols are rabbits. Rabbits usually symbolize happy things such as luck but the film makes them symbolize experimentation which ties them to the tethered. The tethered were kept confined like the rabbits and now are free. They also had to eat raw rabbit to survive. This might be a reference to how mother rabbits will eat their babies when they are anxious if they think that their survival is not possible. It’s a sad fact but it does happen. It hurt my soul seeing the bunnies locked up in extremely small cages because I have four pet rabbits. Rabbits also appeared in Zora’s shirt in the beginning, are shown as decor pieces and Adelaide had a rabbit plush. There’s also the color red which I can’t figure out other meanings other than violence.
I think that the film’s main theme is to criticize the United States and our society. The film made a point to show that America’s culture is built on materialism and deceit. The peak of success in the United States is measured by wealth and all the fancy things money can buy. The Wilson family is wealthy but not as wealthy as the Tyler family. Gabriel Wilson wants to be like the Tylers and even bought a boat to relate to them. The Tylers look happy but Kitty Tyler isn’t happy. She’s implied to have a drinking problem, is not happy with her face and Josh disregards her concerns over intruders. Her tethered counterpart was also shown to put on makeup but got mad at her reflection. The film also attacked the notion that wealth can protect the rich. Gabe believed at first that they could’ve been safe in the Tyler home even though the Tylers were laying dead around them.
Maria Alvarez's Film Blog 