WE ARE WHAT WE ARE

Imagine, just for a minute, you are 'way down in Mexico way' in a place where life is cheap- but whores are cheaper!! So cheap in fact that Papa of three (the quite brilliantly named Humberto Yariez), has developed somewhat of an addiction to these ladies of the night. When Pops mysteriously collapses and dies in a pool of black vomit, after drooling at a mannequin in a shop window, he is routinely cleaned off the pavement and carted off to the mortuary.

Papa leaves Patricia a widow (Carmen Beato) and three teenage children; Alfredo (Francesco Barreiro), Julian (Alan Chavez) and, the lone sister, Sabina (Paulina Gaitan). While not exactly the traditional bread winner, his passing does mean the family has a void of sorts to fill. The two boys lose their market pitch selling watches when Julian's scotching temper, a match for the Mexican heat, causes him to batter a disgruntled customer.

Returning to their impoverished abode with the bad news threatens to send their grieving mother over the edge. We soon discover, however, that replacing their father's income is only part of their predicament....

Meanwhile, the post mortem of the family's patriarch reveals a human finger in his stomach. Detective Gustavo (Miguel Hoppe) starts to probe this absurdity, determined to unravel this cannibalistic mystery. The potential reward could satisfy his seemingly frustrating lust for money.

The investigation sets a countdown in motion. The family's intended 'ritual' is now under threat, unless they quickly find another victim...

Utter the words "Cannibal Movie" and one can't help but think back to the legendary notoriety of Messrs Deodato and Lenzi. But comparing these jungle set gorefests with writer and director, Jorge Michel Grau's 'WE ARE WHAT WE ARE' are futile.

Ferox and Holocaust could hardly be classed as family dramas for a start! But more to the point, there appears to be something more calculated behind this credible family's penchant for human flesh. The word "ritual" peppers the dialogue of the mother and siblings, which suggest the nourishment they crave goes beyond mere food. The reason a lot of modern pictures fail in trying to recreate the atmosphere of horror classics is they seem a little too glossy. This accusation cannot be aimed at WAWWA. The seedy location provides a genuinely gritty setting for the tale to develop. Don't fancy eating prostitute tonight? No problem! There is a sleazy nightclub up the road with an abundance of potential victims! The harsh backdrop means even the characters with seemingly virtuous intentions still have a depraved side to their personality. The sordid environment works wonderfully well, not only accentuating the family's domestic struggles, but also providing the perfect milieu for some brutal violence.

And of this violence that splinters the movie, a special nod of the sombrero must go to director Grau, who does a stunning job at varying the depictions of bloodshed. Sometimes the illusion of thinking you have witnessed more then you actually did is achieved with some nauseating squelchy sound effects. At others, it is the way some truly ferocious assaults literally explode onto the screen using the surprise factor to brilliant effect. But, for me, it was the ruthless 'aftermath' scenes that etched themselves into the psyche. The conflicting image of a bloodied and beaten corpse dumped in a colourful children's playground was a provocative way to show Hell hath no fury then a posse of backstreet whores scorned! Not since the opening scenes of 'HENRY: Portrait of a Serial Killer' has this chilling technique been utilized with such menace.

The film is notably fast paced which is largely to do with the condensed period of time the story is set in (just short of 48 hours). As the scenes evolve, this is shrewdly reinforced. Clocks are evident in various shots that, not only exhibit meticulous continuity, but also intensify the time constraints of the family's plight. The only major criticism I could find was the questionable cinematography toward the violent climax of the movie. This appeared to be shot in near darkness, making it quite hard at times to make out what was actually occurring. Whether this was the intention of the filmmakers is contentious, but this negative did risk spoiling a truly absorbing movie. Overall WAWWA is a highly original slice of debauchery that, due to its ending, could easily spawn a sequel as well as a prequel.

I think I need a shot of tequila to get rid of that strange taste in my mouth. The meat in that taco tasted almost … human..!

By Marc Lissenburg