Does It Matter Why The Shoe Was Standing Up in Nope?

thegamer.com:

This article contains major spoilers for Nope.

In Nope, the latest movie from Jordan Peele, strange, seemingly unexplainable events begin to happen before we even get through the studio logos. The film opens on a blood-drenched sitcom set where a chimpanzee is impatiently nudging the corpse of an actress. Later, a man is killed by a falling nickel as a hail of debris thuds into the dirt on a ranch outside LA. After that, a UFO shows up.

Peele’s latest is full of bizarre moments and imagery. But, as the story unfolds, much of it becomes understandable. The opening credits play out in what appears to be an inflatable wind tunnel and we later find out that it is the mouth/eye of a UFO-shaped creature hunting for prey in Agua Dulce. On the other hand, there are plenty of images that remain enigmatic after the credits roll. What are we to make of a key jutting out of a horse’s haunch? And, more pressingly for many viewers, what is the deal with the shoe standing up — a single drop of blood dotting the toe — after the incident on the Gordy’s Home set?

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It’s a surreal moment and I was half-convinced I had imagined it after I left the theater. But, a thread from YouTuber Logan Paul which began, “‘NOPE’ is one of the worst movies I’ve seen in a long time,” forcefully reminded me I hadn’t.

“Why/how did the shoe stand upright on the set of Gordy’s Home?” Paul asked. “This one I’m sure has a reason but I haven’t found anything that makes sense.”

Paul is correct in his assumption that the shoe means something. Peele’s camera lingers on it in a shot from Jupe’s POV, zooming in for a close-up that reveals that, at least from Jupe’s perspective, nothing appears to be propping the