jamespeva
I saw some good reviews for this film and decided to check it out, but sorry to say it's dumb. The ultra tight knit family of cannibals don't communicate to each other at all, which seems ridiculous as naturally no- on in the family has a friend from outside so you would think that they'd be pretty tight. This lack of family discussion of even the most basic parts of their lives leads to the all the easily preventable problems that crop up in the film. The mother who obviously should take some sort of leadership role, just chastises her sons for not knowing what to do and nobody challenges her despite her lack of solutions. If you watch it drunk it may be better as you could then ignore the stupidity as you might think that maybe you hadn't paid attention.
Leofwine_draca
Strangely, people have been regarding WE ARE WHAT WE ARE as something of a gem; after all, it's a film that garnered a Hollywood remake, so it must be good, right? Er, no. This Mexican cannibal film is entirely by rote, a predictable narrative populated by unappealing characters and a distinct lack of depth. It held my attention throughout, but only just, and that's partly because it's mercifully short.Instead of focusing on the blood and guts of the cannibal storyline - this is surprisingly subdued given the subject matter - WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is a film that explores family dynamics. Mainly it involves characters arguing or screaming and shouting at each other, and it's a fairly tiresome exercise, mainly because the script isn't as hot as it should be. If at least one character in the entire movie had been likable it might have been a different story, but as it is it's a chore.Things do start picking up in the final third of the film, with lots of action and bloodshed as antagonists start entering the story, but it's not enough to make this a classic or anything approaching a decent film. The cult reputation of WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is destined to remain a mystery, I think...
tombrookes2007
Billed as a 'cannibal gore-fest' (on the DVD cover) this definitely is not. It so isn't, but what it is, is a clever drama about cannibals, with very little cannibalism. It is very much like, and maybe fueled by films like 'Let Me In'. The film is about a man, who is a father and husband that dies from flash poisoning. He leaves behind a family of four, who will now have to hunt for their own flesh as he was the provider. The family is led by an erratic mother, intent on keeping the 'ritual' alive and keeping her family hidden. This however remains difficult as the sons try to step up and do the hunting (of prostitutes) and mess up, alerting local detectives and prostitutes. The ending is good and some elements make this film a creditable experience, with some unique flavour (not blood) and I am left admiring it for what it is.
poe426
I think it was Sawney Bean who once said that... At any rate, WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is what it is. It's beautifully crafted, for one thing, and the minimal music is very creepy, indeed (the score is almost subliminal). The performances all around are excellent; the fact that the movie doesn't just retread ground gone over before in the all-too-familiar fashion is another big plus. (By contrast, RAVENOUS, which boasted one of the creepiest trailers ever, devolved into a ridiculous fantasy.) The story twists, from the beginning, are out of left field (but well in keeping with what's happening, and dramatic turns one and all), which keeps one guessing. While I'm no big fan of Alfred Packer or Liver-eatin' Johnson or Albert Fish or any of the others whose axploits have been fodder for filmmakers over the years, I must admit that WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is a fine piece of work.
AD
