We Are What We Are is a brooding slow burn with little to no jump scares and disturbing subject matter, specifically cannibalism. Believe me when I say I really wanted to love this movie. Sadly, the first two acts of this movie are a chore. I fell asleep the first time around the 20-minute mark my first watchthrough. It begins with a family tragedy and shows their subsequent grieving period. This family has a secret but it's established early on so we're just watching them do stuff. It's a way to develop the characters and set the mood, sure, but it completely failed to grip my attention. You know where the movie is going right off the bat. It shows its hand too quickly and doesn't gain any momentum until the final act.The third act is enjoyable, though. It's thrilling, tense, borderline silly at times but all in good fun. The problem is whether it's worth the wait. Like waiting in line for five hours for a roller coaster ride and you finally get on and have a good time, but was the wait really worth the few moments of enjoyment? Honestly, it's entirely up to you. The movie certainly has its perks. The acting is excellent across the board, the daughters in particular, and the cinematography is superbly crafted to give you the eerie vibe necessary to pull off this subject matter. Production value wise, We Are What We Are is quality stuff.I'd recommend it to horror buffs, specifically those who prefer a slow burn over cheap jump scares. We Are What We Are just happens to be the particular slow burn that's slow to the point that it produces more of a flicker than a flare.

I had no idea what to expect from Jim Mickle's 'We Are What We Are'. I went in knowing nothing about it, other than that it was a remake of a recent Spanish movie of the same name. This haunting film is 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' for the indie crowd. It's beautiful, brutal and very well acted.In rural upstate New York, the mother of the Parker family suddenly dies while shopping for groceries. Much to her family's dismay, life must go on. The two older sisters, Iris (Ambyr Childers) and Rose (Julia Garner), are expected to take over the household, as their younger brother Rory (Jack Gore) is constantly hungry. Meanwhile, their father Frank (Bill Sage) tries to maintain his emotions and keep things running normally. However, things are far from normal with the Parker family. They have a deep dark secret that has been passed on from generation to generation.We soon find out just what this horrific secret is when a teenage girl from their town goes missing. Over the years, lots of other people from the surrounding area have also gone missing. Well, it turns out that the Parkers are cannibals and have a strange ritual they adhere to that involves dressing like Puritans and having long prayers before their meals. Hey, that's family tradition, right?Their neighbor Marge (Kelly McGillis) senses that something is wrong when she babysits young Rory during his mom's funeral. He tells her he's hungry, then bites her finger and begins sucking on the blood. The local coroner (Michael Parks) suspects something when he finds more than he can handle in their mom's autopsy. While the town sheriff isn't willing to listen to the coroner, he enlists the help of a young deputy who went to school with the oldest daughter and might have a crush on her. Unfortunately for him, he gets more than he bargained for.Director Mickle splices in flashback footage of the family's ancestors from olden times taking part in this sadistic tradition. He also showcases each family member in the present day struggling with their ways. The story ends in one of the best movie climaxes in recent memory. It slowly builds up to balls-to-the-wall suspense that will make your jaw drop.Childers and Garner are terrific in their roles, as both struggle to leave this way of life, which they realize is wrong but is the only thing they know. As the father, Sage plays it calm and collected, but can quickly turn on the rage. What's really original about this is that the family plays an active part in their community. They're not just crazy shut-ins, like we've seen so many times before with movies in this genre. Mickle's filming of the story is beautiful. Some of his shots will haunt you for days.If you're looking for a different, original and scary film this Halloween season, this is one of the best horror movies in a long time. I can't wait to see 'We Are What We Are' again. Plus, I might have to think twice the next time I eat a bowl of chili.

The Parker family is fasting following and old family tradition. When the matriarch, Emma Parker (Kassie DePaiva), goes to a hardware store in the nearby small town during a rainstorm, she does not feel well, has an accident and dies. Her husband Frank Parker (Bill Sage), who is the owner of a trailer camping area, grieves her death and forces her older daughter Iris (Ambyr Childers) to assume the responsibility for keeping the family tradition, feeding them and nursing her teenage daughter Rose (Julia Garner) and her young brother Rory (Jack Gore). He also gives Emma's journal to Rose with the history of their family to learn their traditions. Meanwhile Sheriff Meeks (Nick Damici) and Deputy Anders (Wyatt Russell) are investigating cases of missing persons in the skirts of the town. Doc Barrow (Michael Parks), who lost one daughter that has disappeared, is carrying out Emma's autopsy and finds an important discovery that will connect the missing cases with the Parker family. What is the tradition of the Parker family? "We Are What We Are" is a depressing and creepy remake of a 2010 Spanish movie "Somos lo que hay". The story is developed in slow pace in a depressive atmosphere and the acting is top-notch. Unfortunately the screenplay discloses the mystery too soon but the gore conclusion is gruesome and hard to be seen. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "Somos o Que Somos" ("We Are What We Are")

The only thing I got from watching this movie was I must stop going by IMDb reviewers reviews. After reading about how great this was, 7 and 8 stars it was getting, so as you can imagine I rushed out and got the DVD, I feel duped, lied to, This was awful. I've never been so bored. I expected so much and got so little. Listed as a horror? Really? There's more macabre in Bambi. The only thing good about this movie was the acting. Solid acting from Bill Sage and Michael Parks but just so slow and sluggish. Honestly, don't waste your time if your looking for a good horror, but if your having restless nights and need help sleeping, whack this on.