We Are What We Are (2013)
71%RT Audience Score: 50%
Awards & Nominations: 5 wins & 11 nominations
A compelling story cleverly told, We Are What We Are quenches horror buffs’ thirst for gore while serving up serious-minded filmmaking and solid acting
Who knew a movie about cannibalism could be so moody and tense? “We Are What We Are” is a gothic horror film that’s more about family drama than gore, but don’t worry, there’s still plenty of bloodletting to go around. The film successfully creates a sense of impending doom that permeates the theater, and the director’s distinct vision finds beauty in the horrific. So if you’re in the mood for a little bit of cannibalism with your family drama, this is the movie for you!
Production Company(ies)
Castle Rock Entertainment,
Distributor
NA
Release Type
Streaming, Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Margaretville, New York, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for disturbing violence, bloody images, some sexuality, nudity and language
Year of Release
2013
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:NA
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Streaming): Jan 7, 2014
Genre(s)
Drama/Horror
Keyword(s)
We Are What We Are, Drama, Horror, 1h 46m, R, directed by Jim Mickle, written by Nick Damici and Jim Mickle, produced by Rodrigo Bellott, Andrew Corkin, Nick Shumaker, Jack Turner, Nicholas Kaiser, starring Ambyr Childers, Odeya Rush, Kelly McGillis, Wyatt Russell, Julia Garner, Michael Parks, reviewed by Mark Kermode, Geoffrey Macnab, Lisa Mullen, Charlotte O’Sullivan, Peter Bradshaw, Nigel Andrews, Brent McKnight, Nicholas Bell, Leslie Combemale, Bernard Boo, Craig Williams, box office gross of $76.6K, disturbing violence, bloody images, language, nudity, some sexuality, Iris Parker, Alyce Parker, Marge, Deputy Anders, Rose Parker, Doc Barrow
Worldwide gross: $159,047
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $202,045
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,930
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 22,033
US/Canada gross: $81,381
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $103,382
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,660
US/Canada opening weekend: $13,727
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $17,438
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,559
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Odeya Rush – Alyce Parker
Kelly McGillis – Marge
Wyatt Russell – Deputy Anders
Julia Garner – Rose Parker
Michael Parks – Doc Barrow
Director(s)
Jim Mickle
Writer(s)
Nick Damici, Jim Mickle
Producer(s)
Rodrigo Bellott, Andrew Corkin, Nick Shumaker, Jack Turner, Nicholas Kaiser
Film Festivals
Sundance, Cannes
Awards & Nominations
5 wins & 11 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (91) | Top Critics (39) | Fresh (78) | Rotten (13)
An ambitious (if somewhat uneven) slice of downbeat American gothic which interweaves grim melancholia with pointed satire, doomy portent and moments of gnawing revulsion.
March 2, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Mark Kermode
Observer (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Some of the film is gruesome in the extreme but there is always lyricism and pathos alongside the bloodletting.
February 28, 2014 | Rating: 3/5
Geoffrey Macnab
Independent (UK)
TOP CRITIC
Mickle and co-writer Nick Damici give themselves plenty of time to tease out their themes and ladle on the tension.
February 28, 2014
Lisa Mullen
Sight & Sound
TOP CRITIC
Who can resist a good cannibal movie?
February 28, 2014 | Rating: 4/5
Charlotte O’Sullivan
London Evening Standard
TOP CRITIC
Another pointless remake.
February 27, 2014 | Rating: 2/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
Stupendously dull: dull with that blend of overloaded effect and under-supplied affect that bad horror alone truly offers.
February 27, 2014 | Rating: 1/5
Nigel Andrews
Financial Times
TOP CRITIC
Moody, tense, and delicately layered, when you boil it down to the bare essentials, this is still the story of an isolated, woodsy family eating folk.
July 8, 2020 | Rating: B+
Brent McKnight
The Last Thing I See
A half-baked exercise that only becomes more strangely ridiculous as it tries to explain itself with some B cheapie writing flourishes.
August 28, 2019
Nicholas Bell
IONCINEMA.com
Successfully permeates the theater with gothic dread and a palpable sense of impending doom through its 100-minute running time, all the way to its shocking, satisfying end.
July 31, 2019
Leslie Combemale
Cinema Siren
More family drama than gore fest, Mickle’s film is driven by atmosphere and mystique, more concerned with creeping you out than making you hurl.
April 11, 2019 | Rating: 7.2/10
Bernard Boo
Way Too Indie
Mickle’s vision is distinct; it’s a stark, lyrical picture, underscored by a sense of melancholic longing. In the grand Gothic tradition, the director finds beauty in the horrific…
March 8, 2019 | Rating: 4/5
Craig Williams
CineVue
Carefully conceals the cannibalism at its heart in favour of the examination of familial roles, rites of passage and ritualism.
February 28, 2019
Naila Scargill
Exquisite Terror…
Plot
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 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.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels review for We Are What We Are.
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