We Are the Flesh

We Are the Flesh
Theatrical release poster
SpanishTenemos la carne
Directed byEmiliano Rocha Minter
Written byEmiliano Rocha Minter
StarringNoé Hernández
María Evoli
Diego Gamaliel
CinematographyYollótl Alvarado
Edited byYibran Asuad
Emiliano Rocha Minter
Music byEsteban Aldrete
Production
companies
Piano
Detalle Films
Sedna Films
Estudios Splendor Omnia
Simplemente
Distributed byArrow Films (USA)
Drop-Out Cinema, Donau-Film (Germany)
Release date
  • 2 February 2016 (2016-02-02) (International Film Festival Rotterdam)
Running time
79 minutes
CountriesMexico
France
LanguageSpanish

We Are the Flesh (Spanish: Tenemos la carne) is a 2016 Mexican-French horror film that was written and directed by Emiliano Rocha Minter.[1] The film premiered on 2 February 2016 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and had a limited release in the United States in January 2017.[2][3]

Plot

An unknown apocalypse has devastated the globe, forcing siblings Lucio and Fauna to forage for food and shelter in a hostile environment. They happen to come across Mariano, a man who offers them both of these things, but at a cost: they must help him turn an abandoned building into a cave/cocoon-esque structure. He also demands that the siblings have sex with one another while he watches and masturbates. With few other options the two comply, only for this act to be the start of many strange and horrific things they must do in order to survive.

Cast

  • Noé Hernández as Mariano
  • María Evoli as Fauna
  • Diego Gamaliel as Lucio
  • Gabino Rodríguez as Soldado mexicano

Production

For the roles of Fauna and Lucio, director Emiliano Rocha Minter made a casting call for siblings, because at first he wanted them to be really brother and sister. He had thought about casting Diego Gamaliel's real sister for the role of Fauna, but in the end he gave up and cast María Evoli instead.[4]

Style

The film contains non-simulated sex scenes, including a scene of masturbation captured to climax.[5]

Reception

Critical reception was generally positive and the film holds a rating of 74% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 46 reviews with an average rating of 6.20/10. The site's consensus reads, "Visually striking and aggressively confrontational, We Are The Flesh may prove as difficult to watch as it ultimately is to forget."[6] Metacritic holds an 62 score based on 10 reviews, indicating "generally favorable".[7] Reviewers for The Guardian rated the movie at two and three stars, with one reviewer noting that it was "a bit like Jorge Michel Grau’s movie We Are What We Are, only without the satirical purpose."[8][9] Variety noted that reactions to We Are the Flesh would differ greatly depending on the viewer and that it was an "extreme Mexican fiesta of incest, cannibalism and explicit sex that should earn detractors and fans in equal measure."[10]

Horror outlets Fangoria and Bloody Disgusting both gave the movie favorable reviews,[11] with the latter praising the movie's camerawork, use of colour, sound and acting while also commenting that some viewers "will certainly be offended, and others frustrated."[12] Dread Central was mixed in their review, writing that "This is the kind of visceral, boundary-pushing cinema that will never, ever be accepted by mainstream filmgoers – and will likely be hard going even for those accustomed to transgressive filmmaking."[13]

References

  1. ^ García, Julián (14 October 2016). "Sexo más allá de la moral en 'Tenemos la carne'". El Periódico. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  2. ^ Klein, Brennan (15 December 2016). "Mexican hardcore horror flick We Are the Flesh hits the U.S. in January". Retrieved 11 January 2017 – via JoBlo.com.
  3. ^ Mishka, Brad (10 January 2017). "Some Dude in This 'We Are the Flesh' Clip Wants to Be Eaten Alive (Exclusive)". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  4. ^ "Entrevista con Emiliano Rocha sobre 'Tenemos la carne'". butacaancha.com. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
  5. ^ Shreve, D. (11 January 2017). "The Near-Brilliant Anti-Art Depravity Of We Are The Flesh". Audiences Everywhere. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
  6. ^ "We Are the Flesh". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  7. ^ "We Are the Flesh Reviews". www.metacritic.com. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  8. ^ Bradshaw, Peter (17 November 2016). "We Are the Flesh review – welcome to the eroto-pocalypse". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  9. ^ Ide, Wendy (20 November 2016). "We Are the Flesh review – a shocking waste of potential". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  10. ^ Bray, Catherine (11 February 2016). "Film Review: 'We Are the Flesh'". Variety. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  11. ^ Hanley, Ken W. (15 August 2016). "BiFan 2016: "WE ARE THE FLESH" (Film Review)". FANGORIA. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  12. ^ Torfe, Pat (25 July 2016). "[Fantasia Review] 'We Are the Flesh' is a Polarizing but Intriguing Début - Bloody Disgusting!". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  13. ^ Jones, Gareth (20 October 2016). "We Are the Flesh (2016)". Dread Central. Retrieved 19 January 2017.