2013
Directed by Jim
Mickle
Starring Bill Sage,
Ambyr Childers and Julia Garner
“We Are What We Are” is such an
incredibly deliberate, unhurried film you might forget that you are watching a
horror film. This is a good thing. Director Jim Mackle’s film is in no hurry, clearly
laying out that trouble lies ahead but we will take our sweet time getting
there. The film is both beautiful and unnerving at the same time. I was
reminded of the painting American Gothic, it’s somehow visually alluring while possessing
qualities that are disturbing.
The Parker family, well,
something just isn’t right about them. It’s hard to immediately pinpoint but
something is clearly wrong. They live in a rural community that feels out of step
with modern society. The film opens with Emma (the mother of the family) walking to
butchers market/convince store that would have felt perfectly at home in the
1890’s. After leaving the store she collapses and dies, setting into motion a
chain of events mysterious and, eventually, gruesome.
It is readily apparent that Frank
Parker (Bill Sage) is a religious zealot somewhere between Fred Phelps and an
isolated Jim Jones, bending scripture to his own wacky ideals. He raises his
daughters, Iris (Ambyr Childers) and Rose (Julia Garner), and son Rory (Jack
Gore), by this shall we say less than traditional set of spiritual principals.
The siblings talk of fasting before “Lamb’s Day,” a ceremony for which Iris is
expected to now fill in for Emma. And while no one says what it is, exactly,
we’re certainly given to believe we’re better off not finding out.
Every element of this film is
leading and threating us with its inevitable conclusion. Mickle does not give
us the typical horror-movie resolution. Instead, we get something much more
ambiguous and every bit as satisfying (with more than enough gore). With its
lush look, uniformly excellent acting, slow cadences and unhurried unravelling,
“We Are What We Are” rewards your patience without skimping on the substance. I
have a feeling this will be a divisive film as most great films are.
This film is built on atmosphere
and tension. The costume design, set design and cinematography all support the
wonderful performances from our three leads. While I would say this film feels
fairly rooted in reality it is a heightened cinematic experience that left me both
exhausted and satisfied. Jim Mickle is
one of a growing number of young horror directors who are breathing new life in
the long suffering genre. Jim Mickle and Ti West make films that feel like they
could have been made in the 1970s and I think that has something to do with the
demand for independent film from the streaming and VOD outlets. While the multiplexes
are giving us nothing more than explosions, monsters and spandex Netflix, Hulu
and iTunes are giving us smaller more interesting films that deserve our
attention and Jim Mickle is a director you should be watching.
Comments