A middle-aged man dies in the street, leaving his widow and three sons destitute. The devastated family is confronted not only with his loss but with a terrible challenge – how to survive. For they are cannibals. They have always existed on a diet of human flesh consumed in bloody ritual ceremonies… and the victims have always been provided by the father. Now that he is gone, who will hunt? Who will lead them? How will they slaken their horrific hunger? The task falls to the eldest son, Alfredo, a teenage misfit who seems far from ready to accept the challenge…. –Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
A poorly constructed narrative makes this difficult to digest. The makers equate long duration with a the tone of the "serious," which are not mutually exclusive concepts. These shots do little to push the narrative forward, and ultimately prove a waiting game. What makes the work even harder to accept is an implicit (and seemingly unintentional) politics: demonization of the impoverished, despite the perspective.
Some very good moment to moment filmmaking but, where I enjoy a movie which is a journey of discovery, revealing its story as it progresses, this felt more like the filmmaker withholding information throughout the movie - and I never learned enough to make it a satisfying experience. That said, this film shows a lot of promise for a first film and I'll definitely give Grau's next film a look.
WE ARE WHAT WE ARE is a dark story of an impoverished family doing what they must to survive, just like so many in the world, except for one thing. The family kills other humans for food. Despite the gruesome notion of a cannibalistic family, the film is less horror and more drama and suspense. The entire film is portrayed with an underlying sense of an apocalyptic state, and packs a powerfully creepy ending.
"Cannibalism may be the nominal calling card of We Are What We Are," writes Nick Schager in the Voice, "but ritualistic gruesomeness is merely
Put on your best costume jewelry: this evening, as every New York cinephile knows, the 48th New York Film Festival kicks off at Lincoln Center
There are more reviews and interviews still to come, but the coverage-of-the-coverage phase wraps up right here with a last round on films
There comes a… read review
Now there haven’t been too many cannibal movies lately or i believe evewr that didn’t resort to a supernatural element as the reason. In this film there are no mutants, zombies or aliens. Only humans… read review
Los caníbales son un tema escabroso en la cinematografía mundial, hay pocas películas que traten sobre el tema de manera seria y como metáfora de una sociedad que se come a sí misma, una sociedad tan… read review