We Are What We Are

Name: We Are What We Are
Genre: Drama, Thriller, Horror
Released: September 27, 2013
Duration: 105 min
Rating: 71
Cast: Ambyr Childers, Bill Sage, Julia Garner, Nick Damici, Wyatt Russell

2013

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 45 Ratings

See All

5.2

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

5.2	Your Score
5.2	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 45 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Movie Details & Credits

Entertainment One | Release Date: September 27, 2013 | R

Starring: Ambyr Childers, Bill Sage, Julia Garner, Nick Damici, Wyatt Russell

Summary: A seemingly wholesome and benevolent family, the Parkers have always kept to themselves, and for good reason. Behind closed doors, patriarch Frank rules his family with a rigorous fervor, determined to keep his ancestral customs intact at any cost. As a torrential rainstorm moves into the area, tragedy strikes and his daughters Iris andA seemingly wholesome and benevolent family, the Parkers have always kept to themselves, and for good reason. Behind closed doors, patriarch Frank rules his family with a rigorous fervor, determined to keep his ancestral customs intact at any cost. As a torrential rainstorm moves into the area, tragedy strikes and his daughters Iris and Rose are forced to assume responsibilities that extend beyond those of a typical family. As the unrelenting downpour continues to flood their small town, the local authorities begin to uncover clues that bring them closer to the secret that the Parkers have held closely for so many years. [Entertainment One]… Expand

Director: Jim Mickle

Genre(s): Drama, Thriller, Horror

Rating: R

Runtime: 105 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

David Rooney

Aug 29, 2013

The film is that rare modern horror movie that doesn’t simply fabricate its scares with the standard bag of postproduction tricks. Instead it builds them via a bracing command of traditional suspense tools... This is polished film craft. Read full review

Ian Buckwalter

Sep 27, 2013

Mickle and co-writer Nick Damici gutted Grau's story to the bone. And they not only built something entirely new on that skeleton — they managed to equal and in many ways surpass the dark, bloody beauty of their source material. Read full review

The Playlist Jessica Kiang

Aug 29, 2013

We Are What We Are is just a great yarn, well-acted, elegantly shot and put together cleverly so that even its more visceral delights feel well-earned. Read full review

Sara Stewart

Sep 30, 2013

A first-rate example of good storytelling and well-timed — while not excessive — gore. Its disgusting, hilarious conclusion left me eager to see what’ll be next from director Jim Mickle. Read full review

Tirdad Derakhshani

Oct 11, 2013

"The Silence of the Lambs" gave us an articulate, Euro-suave gourmand cannibal, but served up pretty much the same stew. Read full review

Pete Vonder Haar

Sep 24, 2013

It isn't until the ending, which turns the squirm amplifier up to 11 and exceeded even my horrific expectations, that we finally see the story's potential realized. Read full review

Michael O'Sullivan

Oct 10, 2013

There’s some fun to be had, as long as your idea of fun includes being grossed out. Read full review

SEE ALL 27 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

MarcDoyle

Oct 2, 2013

One of the best horror/thriller movies I've seen in the last couple of years. I love the Hawthornian Lovecrafting setting and mood. Michael Parks (Jean Renault from "Twin Peaks") is one of my favorite actors, and he delivers an outstanding performance here as the local village ME/doctor.One of the best horror/thriller movies I've seen in the last couple of years. I love the Hawthornian Lovecrafting setting and mood. Michael Parks (Jean Renault from "Twin Peaks") is one of my favorite actors, and he delivers an outstanding performance here as the local village ME/doctor. The script is terrific it pulls you in without throwing in the standard horror shocks and scares. And it absolutely saves its best for last, so stick it out!… Expand

3 of 4 users found this helpful31

Joellemm

Aug 29, 2016

The movie is brilliantly raw. Full of detail, tension, character and meaning. Its well acted, well written, well directed. Importantly, its horrifying, but not for the sake. It gruesomely brings to life an act that is usually amateurishly portrayed. Disappointedly, it does lose its sense ofThe movie is brilliantly raw. Full of detail, tension, character and meaning. Its well acted, well written, well directed. Importantly, its horrifying, but not for the sake. It gruesomely brings to life an act that is usually amateurishly portrayed. Disappointedly, it does lose its sense of mystery early on, and some of the later scenes are a little ridiculous in contrast to the rest of the film. Still great.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

rebelmswar

Jul 8, 2015

This is a horror movie you can sneak past the ladies, gentlemen. There is such a feeling of despair through the whole ordeal that I became quite transfixed by the power of it. Far, far too many things go on at one time for this to be a one watch - there are deeper things in this movie thanThis is a horror movie you can sneak past the ladies, gentlemen. There is such a feeling of despair through the whole ordeal that I became quite transfixed by the power of it. Far, far too many things go on at one time for this to be a one watch - there are deeper things in this movie than the visceral exterior. The movie flows toward the climax with unending vigor and dread that it grips you and the ending will leave you looking like a clueless teenager - the celery stick fell out of my mouth. Outstanding work that man. I give it 6 hurls out of 10 for gore and 3 sets of underwear out of 10 for fear.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

jppl1999

Jul 28, 2015

It is not at the level of poetry and it never will, but in this case there is a poesy by Philip Larkin called "This Be The Verse" that explains it perfectly:

They **** you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add someIt is not at the level of poetry and it never will, but in this case there is a poesy by Philip Larkin called "This Be The Verse" that explains it perfectly:

They **** you up, your mum and dad.
They may not mean to, but they do.
They fill you with the faults they had
And add some extra, just for you.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

rappM95

Jul 19, 2020

The pacing is very slow, and Bill Sage spends majority of the movie mumbling his lines. There are some redeeming scenes, and the ending is satisfying. There are layers in the story worth exploring but the movie doesn't dive in as deep as the mythos could. Julia Garner is excellent in aThe pacing is very slow, and Bill Sage spends majority of the movie mumbling his lines. There are some redeeming scenes, and the ending is satisfying. There are layers in the story worth exploring but the movie doesn't dive in as deep as the mythos could. Julia Garner is excellent in a supporting role.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Spangle

Sep 21, 2016

We Are What We Are is a film that simply was not up my alley for many different reasons. Aside from being incredibly cliche, the ending is far too much, and the film feels as if it is far more content just trying to shock its audience instead of creating any unique atmosphere. Though thereWe Are What We Are is a film that simply was not up my alley for many different reasons. Aside from being incredibly cliche, the ending is far too much, and the film feels as if it is far more content just trying to shock its audience instead of creating any unique atmosphere. Though there are a few great scenes, the film's atmosphere is slack, the pacing is slow, and the film as a whole suffers from these inadequacies.

From the very beginning, the film opts to start with a quote said by a character later on in the film. With the name Alyce Parker, the name is clearly there to grab your attention due to its similarities to Alice Parker, a woman killed during the Salem Witch Trials. Though our Alyce is deeply religious, she has a limited role. The rest of the film focuses on her family and their deep religious beliefs and their "purity" of being cannibals in the name of the Lord. It feels quite often that director Jim Mickle is trying to make some kind of astute comment about religion and its effects on the mind, but unfortunately, it often falls incredibly short of anything profound. Other than, "extremism is bad" and commentary about misguided notions derived from religion, the film really does nothing too deep, in spite of clear overtures into the arena.

The pacing of the film is pretty bad, but this is in large part due to its cliches. It slacks as you wait to see what cliche will be pulled out next. Here, a "dead" man is left lying only to get up seconds later, a police procedural plays out, and a man takes a shovel to the brain to play out the stereotypical father-daughter relationship cliche. These scenes do not ride on any sort of atmosphere, yet take up a large portion of the film. Instead, any atmosphere Mickle may have tried to create is wiped out in a sea of cliche that turns atmosphere and dread into merely "can we get this over with? I know what's going to happen now."

These cliches are extra disappointing with juxtaposed with the best sequences in the film. The killing of "the monster" and the dinner sequence are absolutely killer. Very non-violent, yet so gross and creepy, it makes it feel as if bugs are crawling on your skin. With the dinner sequence in particular, Mickle expertly elongates the scene for full effect and by the end, you feel as if you need a shower.

With such strong scenes in its arsenal, it makes the cliched ending that much more disappointing. With the confrontation, shootout, faked deaths, and every other horror movie cliche in the book as to how to end a horror movie, We Are What We Are upends itself. The only originality is the very ending, but it is not horrifying. It is merely torture porn. As a non-fan of torture fan, it was way too much. However, the violence and action in the film had a similar kind of feeling throughout, even when it was not as visceral. It just never felt justified. It felt like a step-for-step Horror Movie 101 plot that just pulled out all of the tricks without any of the heart, soul, or justification. As a result, much of We Are What We Are just comes and goes with little-to-no fanfare. With the final sequence in particular, it feels as if Mickle keeps looking at you and saying, "Pretty f****d up, eh?" without any reason for the scene dragging on or even existing.

Overall, We Are What We Are is simply not that good. Jim Mickle pulls the very best of many different horror films into his film with nary an inclination to investigate what made these scenes actually work in the first place. I am fine with cliche films, as long as they can also copy the same feeling the original use of the cliche was able to conjure. With this one, they feel soulless and without justification. That said, there are a few strokes of genius in this largely misguided film that does not have much to say about anything it touches on.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

kuehnau

Dec 30, 2016

We Are WHat We Are hand a fantastic concept on their hands, unfortunately it falls short with poor pacing, bad writing, awful acting, with scenes that jump all over the place, often times not making much sense, We Are What We Are isn't worth the time or energy spent watching this flick.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

SEE ALL 7 REVIEWS