Claudio Carvalho
In Mexico, the patriarch (Humberto Yáñez) of a family of cannibals dies in a shopping mall. He is a watchmaker that supports his family and his sons Alfredo (Francisco Barreiro) and Julián (Alan Chávez) go to the street market to work in his booth. However the manager evicts them from the market since their father owes three-week rental to her. When they return home, their sister Sabina (Paulina Gaitan) informs that their father has died in the mall. While the three siblings discuss who will be the family provider for their rituals, their mother Patricia (Carmen Beato) locks herself in a room. Alfredo and Julián initially assume the responsibility but they are clumsy and soon two corrupt police detectives track them down. "Somos lo que hay" is an unpleasant Mexican low-budget movie with displeasing characters. A couple of days ago, I saw the good 2013 remake and I was curious to see the original feature. I found it very disappointing, with nasty characters and situations. Further, it is difficulty to say if the author of this horror movie wishes to show social problems in Mexico (poverty, prostitution, corrupt police etc.), drama or whatever. My vote is four.Title (Brazil): Not Available on Blu-Ray or DVD
zuhairvazir
A relatively fresh take on a genre that has to be tread upon with care and with the threat of great peril in mind. 'We are What We Are' is the portrayal of a dysfunctional family. However the representation of it is amplified, with much intensity as the film rolls closer to its end. It is an interesting watch however, it keeps the secrets to itself. I am hoping the director intended to be it like that.I'm confused, really. It's one of those films where you cannot figure if it's a plain and straight, mediocre narrative (with some great sequences) or maybe you missed out on some key plot contrivance and hence missed 'the point'. For Instance the back-story of 'Jug Face (2013)' was in the opening credits, sort of like hand-drawn stop-motion short. Anyhow, Hollywood is about to release a re-make; let's see how they tackle the dinner matter. Watch it, if only to let me know the 'what'
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...
kosmasp
Even if you don't know what the movie is about, the opening scene will make it very clear, without any words, what is about to come. And it is shot very nicely (in a raw way). And the movie does hold onto that mood until the end of it.Unfortunately I did not like the ending that much. It's not about how a movie ends, but about how people act (or react) to the circumstances. We are used to certain behavior in movies, but it'd still be nice to see people actually having a mind of their own and not something that feels "scripted" (no pun intended). But I might be nitpicking. If you like movies to be weird and all over the place and a horror movie mixing drama and social commentary, then you found another "candidate" ...