We Are What We Are 2013

We Are What We Are is a 2013 retelling of a Mexican film of the same name.  I say retelling instead of remake because it is quite different from the original but the core of the story is the same.  Jim Mickle (Stake Land, Mulberry Street) took care of the directing as well as the screenplay which was co-written by Nick Damici who also plays Sheriff Meeks in the film.  Bill Sage, Julia Garner, Ambyr Childers, and Jack Gore play a father and his three children who are suddenly rocked by the death of their wife and mother.  With her death it will be up to her daughters to keep the families traditions alive going forward.

This one is a slow plodded out trek that reaches the reveal near the end quite nicely even if it is a bit gruesome.  Sage is horrifying as the father who that as long as he does everything in honor of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ then it is all for the greater good.  The daughters are a perfect combination of pitiful determination with the need to keep the family together and alive their number one priority.  Kelly McGillis co-stars as their nosy but caring neighbor with Wyatt Russell (Kurt and Goldie's son) as the town deputy.  Michael Parks (who unfortunately passed away earlier this year) plays the mortician who is getting closer and closer to figuring out their family secret.

This one has a feeling of dreary depression all over it as it seems to rain throughout the entire film.  They do comment several times that this has been the rainy season or something to that effect.  There's some really good story telling in this one as well as making a statement about the radicalization of religion.  Some won't like the subject matter and you will probably suspect what's to come before but even when you know it's not always what you see happen that is the worst part but what you know must have happened right before the scene you are now watching.  While being off screen it is the imagination that makes some of this movie worse than it is.  Now the question begs is the wait worth it?  Would you wait in line for an hour to get on your favorite ride at the amusement park?  If your answer is yes than this movie is for you.  If not then maybe better to avoid all together.  The Horror Honey and I were both entertained and we give this one 3 and a half Dirty Fingernails out of 5.  P.S. stay for the creepy country song that really cements the ending of the movie into you memory.