2022 saw the return of Jordan Peele as a director, following his 2019 film Us. Nope hit screens in the US in July and August in the UK. It’s a combination of Science Fiction and Horror, starring Daniel Kaluuya, seen in Peele’s first directorial endeavour the much celebrated Get Out, and Keke Palmer as a pair of siblings running their family’s failing horse training ranch. Taking a fairly straightforward plot, Peele uses it to explore themes of animal exploitation in cinema as well as trauma for money and spectacle with his trademark tapestry of sights, sounds and references.
What strikes the audience first when viewing Nope is the sound. Even before the studio logos are finished, the sounds of a TV sitcom play along with the noise of a distressed chimp. A brief glimpse of a trashed bloodied sound stage and a chimpanzee, also bloodstained, staring down the camera sets the tone for the rest of the movie. The use of sound in such a way isn’t just limited to the opening scenes. In addition to the noteworthy soundtrack (where most, if not all, of the songs lyrics have some kind of link or reference to the themes and events of the film), the sound design in general could be considered one of the driving forces of the movie. Nope isn’t a film that thrives on horrific scenes of slaughter. The viewer sees carnage but it’s predominantly the aftermath of such events. On the few occasions things are depicted (such as a later section depicting what actually happened with the chimpanzee), it’s always in a mostly off-screen manner that relies on the sound to make it feel like there is more being shown than there actually is. The noise of a man being beaten to death, or the pained screams of a horse fill in the gaps and conjure images in the viewer’s mind of exactly what is happening. Perhaps the best example is during one of the most horrific moments of the film, a brief shot inside the pulsating throat of the movie’s apex predator as it consumes its prey. On its own, that image would look more like people crawling through an inflatable tunnel but combined with the sound of screams, cries, a child begging, bones breaking, it makes for a shudder inducing scene.
2022 Monkeypaw Productions
Characters are another high point of the film. There are five central characters; the ranch owning siblings OJ and Emerald, tech salesman Angel Torres (played by relative newcomer Brandon Perea), cinematographer Antlers Holst (Michael Wincott), and former child star turned theme park owner Ricky ‘Jupe’ Park (Steven Yeun). While the plot is centred on the attempts of OJ and Em (both the type of smart and adaptable characters that so many horror fans wish existed in more films) to capture evidence of an extra-terrestrial that’s been lurking in the area, each of the characters brings a different dimension to explore. Emerald’s initial desperate desire for fame, Holst’s bitterness and disillusionment with the industry, Angel’s hope and attempts to rationalise their actions as something positive that’s more than just for monetary gain. These are all carefully weaved together to create something captivating but by far the most fascinating are the scenes and layers centred on Jupe. Yeun’s performance is deeply nuanced, taking what could have easily been a very one-dimensional character of an actor clinging to relevancy, and brings the audience a man living under a carefully constructed façade of happiness as he commodifies a tragedy that he is still deeply traumatised by, to the point that his attempts to handle his survivor’s guilt has lead to him buying into his own myth, so to speak. Everything about Jupe encapsulates the themes of the film, of the lengths people will go to for fame even at the expense of themselves or others, as well as the casual disregard for animals in showbusiness.
2022 Monkeypaw Productions
As with Peele’s other works, there are so many carefully constructed images throughout that, beneath the surface, hide a deeper meaning. At this point, it’s probably safe the say that Peele could put pretty much anything in one of his films and it would be ascribed some meaning by viewers, intentional or not. However, in the case of Nope the most analysed image is the shoe. A single shoe in the opening scene, standing upright at a seemingly impossible angle, amongst the carnage of a sitcom soundstage. This shoe has become the subject of multiple discussions from viewers, and its purpose seems to go along with both a theme of the movie and an aspect of Yeun’s character. In a society that is more frequently exposed to tragedy, people search for meaning in loss and cling to that meaning. The viewers trying to assign some purpose to this shoe amongst what initially seems like a rather random scene of slaughter are mirroring Jupe, as he attempts to turn his survival of the incident into something more – in his case, the idea that he is special and able to connect to a greater extent with predatory animals.
2022 Monkeypaw Productions
On the subject of predators, Peele should be commended for his creation of a being that should not be as intimidating as it is. Jean Jacket, the film’s sort of antagonist (if looked at in only the simplest of terms), is somewhere between a sentient bedsheet, a camera and an owl. That doesn’t sound like a creature which would induce fear but the way it’s depicted, the mimicry of animal behaviour as it stalks through clouds, its territorial assault of the horse ranch, the sounds and darkness that accompany its arrival, are masterful. Not only does it become a creature of menace, but it’s also reminiscent of King Kong in that even when it destroys things around it, it’s still possible to feel a little sorry for it. Twas not beauty that killed the beast, instead it falls victim to greed as characters attempt to control and use it for their own gain.
There is so much to enjoy about Nope. The sound, the cast, the beautiful expanse of the Agua Dulce desert where it was set and filmed, it is a truly engaging experience that may be Peele’s best film to date. Simply put, should you see Nope? Yep.