Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
Francisco Barreiro | ... | Alfredo | |
Paulina Gaitan | ... | Sabina (as Paulina Gaitán) | |
![]() |
Alan Chávez | ... | Julián |
Carmen Beato | ... | Patricia | |
![]() |
Adrián Aguirre | ... | Adriana |
![]() |
Jorge Zárate | ... | Owen |
![]() |
Esteban Soberanes | ... | Octavio |
![]() |
Miguel Ángel Hoppe | ... | Gustavo |
Noé Hernández | ... | Taxista | |
![]() |
Octavio Michel | ... | Teniente |
![]() |
Humberto Yáñez | ... | Papá |
![]() |
Darwin Enahudy | ... | Empleado tienda |
![]() |
Alejandro Faugier | ... | Dueño Reloj |
![]() |
Elida Contreras | ... | Lideresa |
Juan Carlos Colombo | ... | Director de la Funeraria |
When the patriarch of the family passes away, the teenage children must take responsibility for the family chores: the preparation of the rituals, the hunting and putting the all-important meat on the table. These newfound responsibilities are even more daunting, however, when you live in the city and happen to be a family of cannibals. Written by Anonymous
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...