This is the opening shot of No, and arguably one of the most intriguing shots in a Jordan Peele film: this shoe that stands on its own. How should it be interpreted? – SPOILER ALERT!!!
Warning – The article below contains spoilers as it goes back to one of the most important scenes of No. So please go ahead if you haven’t seen it yet, better to keep the surprise intact.
Released in our cinemas on Wednesday 10th August, Nope is not short of stunning visuals thanks to the combined talents of Jordan Peele and Director of Photography Hoyt van Hoytema (Dunkirk, Tenet). But the first one, which opens the film after some dialogue heard over the opening credits, stands out as one of the most memorable. and intriguing.
Perhaps because it returns several times in the story and ultimately fails to find an explanation. It’s about this blood-stained shoe that stands up to the mayhem caused by a chimpanzee on the set of a sitcom. “Gordy and Company”.
And we see it again, in a flashback, when Ricky ‘Jup’ Park (Steven Yeun) recalls this scene he experienced when he was part of the cast of the series. In the following flashbacks, he collects a room that resembles a mausoleum and which he imposes on visiting customers of his theme park, where a mysterious unidentified flying object is the centerpiece of the show.
“No”‘s most intriguing plan
Just like the creature’s origins and what brought it to Earth, Jordan Peele never explains the why or how of this shoe. On screen and in an interview: “Don’t expect me to explain”he answers before specifying that for him, Nope is talking about the human attitude for the show.
What we especially feel when we are told that the massacre “Gordy and Company” was the subject of a cartoon on the cover of a magazine “You’re crazy”, or a hilarious sketch from Saturday Night Live that highlights how Ricky invents history. But there’s no explanation for the shoes…because he’s not supposed to have any. This is what OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) calls a “Bad Miracle”During a conversation with his sister Emerald (Keke Palmer): an event that is a priori impossible and defies all understanding, without the exciting side of the miracle as we positively represent it.
A standing evil miracle emerges, resembling a flying saucer, which turns out to be an alien creature and threatens the heroes’ farm. The two are not directly related, but share the character of Rick. Because it is through his eyes that we see the object during the incident related to Gordy. And the act of looking at the so-called ship leads him to lose himself, in a feature film where the gaze plays a central role.
A question of perspective
In addition to our addiction to the show, Jordan Peele also points to this need to see and know everything, to explain everything, for the mystery and the interpretation that everyone makes. But in a way that begs the questions, showing the doom that awaits anyone who dares to see the creature up close, when avoiding eye contact can save lives.
Wanting to give meaning to this evil miracle, which was a shoe left on his foot, which he then kept in the same position as a title, Ricky imagined himself the chosen one, able to tame the creature elsewhere for the needs of his show. Where the bleacher is shaped like a horseshoe. who says to himself “horse shoe”so “horse shoe”in English.
Given what’s in store for him, Jordan Peele seems to be questioning our desire to find an explanation for this type of phenomenon…and purposely leaves a few questions unanswered so everyone can see what he’s talking about. For them the most..
Source: allocine
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
