Jim Mickle, who cowrote and directed the effective indie horror film Stake Land, strikes out with this remake of What We Are Not, the 2010 Mexican feature about a family of cannibals. The original was nothing special, but at least it had a sense of humor and a modicum of social insight, cannibalism serving as a metaphor for the brutal conditions endured by the Mexican underclass. Mickle’s version contains neither humor nor insight, unless you count a few broad swipes at the Christian Right. The empty symbolism and postcard imagery call to mind student films, as does Mickle’s decision to have all the actors speak in portentous monotone. Gore hounds may get a kick out of the last ten minutes, though. With Bill Sage, Ambyr Childers, and Kelly McGillis.
We Are What We Are
R • 1 hour 45 min • 2013