We Are What We Are

2010

1h 30m

Drama

Horror

List

72%

47 Reviews

Tomatometer

48%

2,500+ Ratings

Audience Score

When his father dies unexpectedly, Alfredo (Francisco Barreiro) must step up and become the man of the house, providing for his mother and siblings by putting food on the table. This would be a tough obligation for any teenager to shoulder, but things are worse for Alfredo because of his family's special diet: human flesh. Now, Alfredo must stalk and kidnap victims for his cannibal family's ritualistic murders without drawing the notice of police. It's a gruesome task that may destroy him.

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Critics Consensus

We Are What We Are is elevated horror that combines family drama and social politics, with plenty of gore on top.

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Paul Julian Smith

Sight & Sound

Strikingly original in technique, it pays no heed to the old masters of Mexican film; alluding only indirectly to present social conditions, it rewrites the horror genre with a premise that is outrageously novel.

Jul 6, 2018

Full Review

Chuck Bowen

Slant Magazine

A competent barebones transfer of a horror film that deserves to win a wider audience among the Netflix crowd.

Aug 8, 2011

Full Review

Mark Olsen

Los Angeles Times

An unexpectedly rich exploration of family bonds, blood rituals and the oftentimes zombie-like desire to assume the roles proscribed to each of us, played out with a sharp undertow of political allegory and darkly comic sensibility.

Rated: 3.5/5

Feb 24, 2011

Full Review

Naila Scargill

Exquisite Terror

Deftly balancing a horror premise with the politics of a family drama, We Are What We Are is utterly refreshing.

Feb 28, 2019

Full Review

Daniel Green

CineVue

What could have been an intelligent rebirth for the cannibal genre... instead seems content simply to gorge, choke, and eventually suffocate on its own dullness and irrelevance.

Rated: 2/5

Nov 6, 2018

Full Review

Laura Clifford

Reeling Reviews

Grau equates his cannibal family much like Tobe Hooper's Texas clan - as disenfranchised poor people living on the fringes of society struggling with their own familial power structure.

Rated: B-

Jul 20, 2011

Full Review

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Elvis D

A pesar de ser una película independiente, Somos Lo Que Hay es una película ingeniosa con una muy buena historia que sirve como una crítica hacia lo que sucede con la comunidad latina. No es una película de terror exactamente, sino más bien un drama de una familia que, debido a su estado social, han tenido la obligación de sobrevivir por medio del canibalismo y lo convirtieron en un estilo de vida importante para la familia. Antiguamente, el canibalismo era un medio necesario para sobrevivir al hambre y lo que esta película plantea es interesante de pensar. Debido a la pobreza que existe en América Latina, no sería nada extraño que en algún momento los que sufren de hambre tengan que recurrir al canibalismo como último recurso. Es algo que ya ha sucedido en situaciones extremas y esta película sabe manejar bien el tema cuando, en una situación de extrema hambruna, no parece quedar otra solución. En la escena de la morgue, uno de los forenses da a entender que el canibalismo es algo que ocurrente debido a la pobreza que hay. Incluso hay también indicios hacia la corrupción policial por los policías que investigan el caso, quienes al parecer solo lo hacen por beneficio y no por servicio comunitario. La película tiene varios indicios hacia la decadencia que hay en América Latina y que ya es algo común. Somos Lo Que Hay es una buena película mexicana con una reflexión sobre lo que la desigualdad social puede provocar en América Latina. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 8/10.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/08/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Movies are like relationships, you need more positives than negatives to say you're in love. The film had some slow moments, the music was good, the lighting was great for each scene, the acting was on point, the characters were annoying except for Sabina, and the story had a chance to succeed but failed. First, the father was poisoned and we have no idea why or how. This was swept under the rug. His bizarre moments before his death makes no sense. I'm still trying to understand if they wanted a zombie movie but changed their mind. After the patriarch dies, the family has to fend for themselves. The family seems more perturbed than sad that they lost their father. The eldest son is expected to lead because dad wanted him to lead but the true leader is Sabina. Instead of her just taking charge, she talks the eldest into doing her bidding. The family needs a body to do their ritual so they can survive. However, they believe that beggars can be choosers. The theme is supposedly poverty but I didn't see destitute in terms of money but destitute in terms of mind. All the characters have little to no redeeming qualities. The police are after the cannibals purely for financial gain. One cop has some questionable qualities when speaking with the prostitutes. The victims are outcasts in society: homeless children, prostitutes, or homosexuals. The poor attack who they think is the weaker of the poor. While the rich can wash away the memory of them in their fancy malls with a mop. The film has a great premise. Everyone is savage, everyone is a victim, and everyone can be predator or prey. The difference is where you stand in relation to others. The problem is the film was shoddily put together. If only a little more effort was put into the film to tie up loose ends, explain some behaviors and events, and make it a little bit more real, this film would've been phenomenal. Instead, we are left with this brilliant idea tainted with nonsense and unnecessary scenes that distract you from a noteworthy message. Whether this was intentional or not, the filmmakers imply a family cannot survive without a patriarch. Something I don't agree with. In the end, it's a movie that can pass the time, easy to watch, aside from some slow moments.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Muy buena, y las actuaciones son excelentes además de que representan muy bien el contexto en el que viven los protagonistas y de cómo serían los caníbales en México

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Was finally able to knock this one off the watchlist. I had seen the remake so I knew the general premise of the movie, but the 2 movies are noticeably different. This original version is significantly harder to sit through, not because it's disgusting or because of the gore, but because the characters are so very unlikeable (except for Sabina). In many films I root for the anti-hero but in this one I was praying they would get caught, or better yet killed. Hence I was very very happy with how this film ended (Sabina being the sole survivor). I also enjoyed the closing shot of Sabina on the streets ogling her next meal. There is very little depth or context to the film and I think that's 100% by design as you're expected to be to be guessing and trying to figure out what's going on. I also really enjoyed the acting as every character did a great job of representing their motivations. This is a movie I would recommend to all horror fans... the material being presented may be tough to swallow, but it's not that gory, hence it's palatable :)

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

Full Review

Audience Member

lentement mais surement

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

Audience Member

No explican como el papá fue envenenado

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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Jorge Michel Grau

Director

Francisco Barreiro

Alfredo

Alán Chávez

Julian

Paulina Gaitán

Sabina

Carmen Beato

Patricia

Jorge Zárate

Owen

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Synopsis

When his father dies unexpectedly, Alfredo (Francisco Barreiro) must step up and become the man of the house, providing for his mother and siblings by putting food on the table. This would be a tough obligation for any teenager to shoulder, but things are worse for Alfredo because of his family's special diet: human flesh. Now, Alfredo must stalk and kidnap victims for his cannibal family's ritualistic murders without drawing the notice of police. It's a gruesome task that may destroy him.

Director: Jorge Michel Grau
Producer: Liliana Pardo, Henner Hoffman
Screenwriter: Jorge Michel Grau
Production Co: Fondo para la Producción Cinematográfica de Calidad
Genre: Drama, Horror
Original Language: Spanish
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2019
Runtime: 1h 30m

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