We Are What We Are (2013)

Director – Jim Mickle
Writers – Nick Damici, Jorge Michel Grau
Production Company – Belladonna Productions, Memento Films, Uncorked Productions

Stars – Bill Sage, Ambyr Childers, Julia Garner

IMDB Page (2013)

IMDB Page (2010)

I saw the original We Are What We Are quite some time ago, but I remember I was decently impressed with the atmosphere and storyline.  I think my only gripe was that it might have been a tad bit boring at times.  Fast forward to this weekend and I finally talked my husband into watching the American version.  I was pretty excited as I heard pretty much all praise for the remake.  I have to admit, I was bored out of my mind.  I get really sad when my husband, who hates horror movies, agrees to watch one and we dislike it.

The movie looked beautiful - it has that in the bag.  But the story is bare, and boring.  In the original there’s a pretty kick-ass ending, in my opinion.  This one offered up something that was just from left field, considering the kids didn’t seem into the family’s tradition in the first place.

It will be difficult for me to fully compare the two, since I’ve got the memory of a goldfish.  In the 2010 version I loved the grittiness, the fumbling of the family to secure their food, and the complicated relationships between the older children.  In the 2013 version you get nice little loving siblings, a nicely kept home, and a very ceremonial and neat aspect of devouring the body – I disliked all of these things.  By everything being so nice, neat, and discreet – It just made it boring to me. 

The endings, I was glad when the 2013 version ended.  I felt like I had watched a 3 hour long movie, and the period flashbacks made me chuckle.  When we finally got to the end I was still waiting to see what impressive tweak or twist would be applied (not that every movie needs one but I was falling asleep here people!!), I was not impressed.  So you’re telling me that the kids are so suddenly ravenous to either hurt dad or continue the tradition they decide to eat him alive - and he just lays there for it?  Not in my book folks!  I much prefer the 2010 ending, if you haven’t seen it…stop reading.

2010 Poster

In the 2010 version you have 2 boys and a girl, teenagers.  The families being chased down by cops (they’re not the smartest but they do find them!).  In tight quarters the police are on their tails, at one point one of the brother’s bites the sister, handing her a nice little heartfelt note in the process.  So the cops end up seeing her as one of the cannibals victims, and she lives to see another day.  The brothers aren’t too lucky, in a very nice poetic way.  I quite liked that ending, not to mention the mother in the flick pays the price from a group of hookers she pissed off earlier…and you cheer for it.  Because the characters in the original are just a little more dirty.

You know, I think I need to re-watch the 2010 version again.  I think I might have been too hard on it the first time I watched it.  Now that I’ve seen the 2013 remake, I think it deserves more praise.

I realize I didn’t quite dig deeply into either film, but I was just really let down on the remake. PS, I  highly enjoyed Mulberry St also by Jim Mickle …and that one has an incredibly cheesy concept – It’s just done right.  This one only gets a 3 because visually it was nice.