Film Review: Gothic Originality in ‘We Are What We Are’

CHICAGO – Finding something truly original in the horror genre is rare. The most effective scare tactics are ones that touch the heart of our familiarity and psychosis. Re-imagining a Mexican film from 2010, director Jim Mickle gets right to the gothic heart of it all in “We Are What We Are.”

Rating: 3.5/5.0

Basing the main chilling ritual within an extreme religious sect is the main strength of the film, enough to overcome some serious story holes and turn-the-head-away representations of the ritual. We live in a world in which extreme religiosity causes war, buildings to explode and authoritarian thinking. Taking this to the nth degree in a horror film goes beyond the usual path of mixing religion and the genre, that of exorcism. Instead of just the “devil” being evil, “We Are What We Are” involves extreme interpretation of so-called righteousness, that the ends of faith and religion justify the means of perpetuating a force upon others outside the religion. It’s a rabbit hole harboring myth-as-truth and grand delusions, so grand that it destroys lives.

There is a flood coming, from days of endless rain. A woman is nervously shown purchasing the minimal items of survival. She is obviously physical ill, and falls dead before she can reach her truck. It turns out she is the mother of three children, in a home where an extreme reading of a Christian religious sect by the father (Bill Sage) has virtually imprisoned everyone inside the family.

With the mother gone, the two teenage girls Iris (Ambyr Childers) and Rose (Julia Garner) are put in charge of her duties. A breakdown has occurred with their father because of the loss, and the exposure of the family has a Sheriff’s deputy (Wyatt Russell), the town doctor (Michael Parks) and a virtuous neighbor (Kelly McGillis) infiltrating their secrets. There is one particular ritual that becomes the fatal flaw in the intersection of religion and their lives.

“We Are What We Are” has a limited release, including Chicago, on October 11th. See local listings for theaters and show times. Featuring Bill Sage, Kelly McGillis, Michael Parks, Ambyr Childers and Julia Garner. Screenplay by Jim Mickle and Nick Damici. Directed by Jim Mickle. Rated “R”