We Are What We Are
Somos lo que hay
Directed by Jorge Michel Grau
Mexico, 2010
Cornerhouse, 12 November 2010
Still from We Are What We Are
When the father of a family of cannibals kicks the bucket, the remaining members (the family members, that is, not the store of food laying in the fridge) wrestle for control and leadership of the pack.
Perhaps a better title might have been We Are What We Eat and, in fact, this brood is very particular when it comes to human flesh. They’re not too keen on the flesh of prostitutes or gay men.
Here are some good things about the film. It has an atmospheric Mexican flavour and a visceral, blood and gore quality. Many of the images and characters could have come straight from an Eduardo Risso comic book. There’s a weird pathologist/embalmer, a couple of hard-boiled cops, a troupe of prostitutes who look after each other like the yeggs in You Can’t Win. Enrico Chapela’s music – dissonant and disturbing – is also a big plus.
Unfortunately, it has an unremarkable storyline. Stuff happens, but nothing much surprising.
This is a film that’s often terrific to look at, being tenebrous to a tee, but it doesn’t really take you anywhere special.
