2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

Softwing Most undeservingly overhyped movie of all time??

WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Paynbob It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

estebangonzalez10 "We need to stick together now."There is no doubt in my mind that Jim Mickle is a very talented director. His film, Cold in July, was one of the pleasant surprises from last year, so I decided to give his earlier film, We Are What We Are, a watch. It was well received by critics and I understand why because it is well shot and Mickle knows how to build the right atmosphere, but this horror film was a bit too gory for my personal taste. I don't get any pleasure from watching films like this with shocking and graphic visuals without serving any other purpose. We Are What We Are isn't a horror film that aims to scare its audience, it's true purpose is to shock them through a carefully constructed build up. The film is a bit slow paced but it doesn't take too long to introduce us to the premise. What it amazingly does well is keep up the tension once the premise is revealed, which I thought would be the highlight of the film. The story still delivers twists along the way, but it simply didn't work for me because certain scenes were just too difficult to digest. This horror drama is actually a remake of a 2010 Mexican film directed by Jorge Michel Grau, but most critics agree that this is the superior version thanks to Mickle's craft and solid casting. The story introduces us to Emma Parker (Kassie DePaiva) as she is heading towards a grocery store. She is apparently very ill and collapses after exiting the store. She falls into a pit that is flooded from the pouring rain and drowns. When the officers arrive to her secluded home to inform her family we meet her husband, Frank (Bill Sage), their two daughters, Iris (Amber Childres) and Rose (Julia Garner), and their young son Rory (Jack Gore). It is evident from the get go that the Parker's are hiding a secret. The daughters are very fearful of their father and seem to be very submissive. Frank is a religious man and he has his family fasting for the day as they prepare for one of their strict rituals. The death of his wife has shifted the responsibilities for everyone in the family, and despite the pain of losing his wife, Frank is determined to go on with their custom. However the unrelenting rain has uncovered a secret near the Parker's property that Deputy Anders (Wyatt Russell) has begun investigating. Doc Barrow (Michael Parks) has also found some disturbing evidence while examining Emma's body, but his theory is a bit far fetched. It all leads to a shocking discovery. I don't want to give away what the shocking revelation is although it has been detailed in some summary plots. I actually went into the movie knowing what it was, but it isn't really much of a surprise either considering that it is revealed early on in the movie. What Mickle manages to do well is keep building the drama and the suspense despite it all. The performances here also elevate the material. Bill Sage is a menacing presence and the control he has over his family is very believable. The two daughters are also brilliantly portrayed by Childres and Garner. The film has its strong moments, but as I said before there are too many scenes that disturbed me and didn't allow me to enjoy the film at all. We Are What We Are is one of those films that delivers exactly what you are expecting so if you are a fan of gore you probably will be satisfied, but if you have a weak stomach like I do then this isn't the film for you. http://estebueno10.blogspot.com/

NateWatchesCoolMovies Jim Mickle and Nick Damici are a writer/director team that have greatly impressed me with their first three features, all of which have been absolute winners. Their mournful post apocalyptic vampire flick Stake Land, and their pulpy murder mystery Cold In July, both of which I'll be reviewing soon, were incredible. Also incredible is their slow burning, brutal cannibal family drama We Are What We Are. Instead of an all out backwoods gore fest, we are treated with a moody, muted slow burn of a horror thriller that gets under your skin with a hot poker, and digs at our primal fears, taking sacred concepts like family and loyalty, and turning them on their head. It honestly asks what a family like this might look like in the real world, and not in the realm of endless Wrong Turn sequels. In small rural town in Midwestern America, a secluded family lives out their ages old family traditions, just below the surface of the town's awareness, and just outside the suspicion of the good people they live around. They are a kind, devoted bunch, with one exception: every once in a while they brutally kidnap, murder and eat someone from the area, ritualistically. @Bill Sage, an actor of tremendous courage who has bravely taken on some supremely dark roles in his career, is bone deep creepy as the patriarch of this clan. He presides over the, with an iron fisted loyalty to their tradition, and a cold blooded desire to keep it going, and a secret. Amber Childers and Julia Garner play his two daughters, just coming into their own, their minds maturing to a point where they start to question this twisted doctrine they were raised with. They are both phenomenal, intuitive young actresses who throw themselves headlong into these roles with committed intensity and savage grace. Their younger brother, about 5 or 6, is too young too fully comprehend the severity of their situation and seems lost. When one of the family's previous victim's remains are discovered by the town doctor (Michael Parks), suspicions arise and the plot kicks into suspense mode. The remains just happen to be that of Doc's daughter who disappeared a year back. From there the plot thickens like the clotted blood they serve as thanksgiving dinner. Parks is a very underrated actor who's just coming back into the foray these days, and he knocks it out of the park here, displaying aching hurt and dogged determination. This is above all a suspense film, and when the tension ratchets up in the third act it becomes pretty much the best film of the genre from 2013. The final act has some bloodcurdling surprises and shocking violence that will stagger you. It's never gratuitous though. It's all part of its necessary chain of events. It hardens to the days in the 70's when horror was a moody, atmospheric genre, more concerned with slowly, subtly getting into your head, rather than the majority of shock tactics and senseless bloodletting we see these days. If you miss fright flicks like that, this ones for you.

bethoham If you were thinking of watching it, don't bother. poorly paced, awkward. the cinematography was good, and the acting wasn't bad either, but the writing and pacing are both utterly terrible. The plot MIGHT be thrilling or suspenseful to a child (not the target audience), but even a very casual movie watcher with half a brain can see straight through each and every scenario, eliminating entertaining suspense or plot development... until the end. This movie had one of the WORST endings i have ever seen. It did not mesh with the rest of the plot or the overall mood of the film. It was a pretty unintentionally hilarious ending. i am pretty sensitive to images of violence and gore, but i was literally laughing at the end. The movie also attempts to be relevant by commenting on religious fundamentalism, but the theme feels forced and reaches no conclusion. As a personal pet peeve, it is set in the American south east, but the actors, characters and environment all feel much more 'rural pacific northwest'.

daggersineyes ..... but that's about all it's got going for it. The pacing is so slow it's almost stationary. The characters are unsympathetic, the backstory is muddy and silly. There are no scares or jumps and they somehow manage to suck all suspense out of the scenes that could have been scary. Maybe it works as a family drama about religious fanaticism and grief - I don't know, so if that's your genre of choice you might enjoy it. But if you're a horror fan or into spooky chillers or suspenseful thrillers look elsewhere. The snooze-fest story was capped off by an out of character ending so ludicrous and over the top I could only laugh at it. Nothing in the preceding story lent any credence to that ending - it was there as a desperate attempt to "shock and awe" but ends up amusing and making people roll their eyes. I don't know if the original Spanish version is any better but it sure as hell couldn't be worse. If I was you I'd try that one instead of this one.