We Are The Flesh (2016) Movie Review

One man can never have enough moving tape in a post-apocalyptic world. At least that might be the philosophy of Mariano (Noé Hernández), who plays the patriarch of sorts between our three central characters, which is rounded out by María Evoli and Diego Gamaliel playing unnamed brother and sister.

Granted, the aforementioned tape isn’t all that significant on the whole, but it is literally used to build a fortress cave that serves to shut out the external world and to figuratively bond Mariano Maria. That bond is then used to cause Maria and her brother to engage in unspeakable relations.

The crux of Emiliano Rocha Minter’s (writer, director) We Are the Flesh rests on the central idea put forth by Mariano, of which he basically says that he has learned to embrace solitude as a mistress and once that is done it’s easier to welcome forbidden fantasies, such as fornicating with one’s mother. Then, at that point, nothing else really matters.

A little backstory might be necessary at this point. See, after days of wandering a post-apocalyptic city (which we don’t see), Maria and Diego enter the building in which Mariano lives. Mariano is stone-cold passed out, but we’ve already learned a little about him as a man who lives alone, develops gasoline from organic material, and receives food through a slot in the wall. Peculiar to say the least.

As the movie progresses, we also learn that Mariano might be dependent on a substance that he keeps in a bottle and uses a tear dropper to ingest orally. Who knows if it’s the “gas” he was making earlier (as it appears it isn’t used for anything else), but he does go to extreme measures to get it back when Diego steals a bottle of the stuff.

Things also get progressively more sexually explicit and, in fact, things go way beyond gratuitous nudity or implied sexual encounters. I imagine things might seem more shocking if I hadn’t previously seen A Serbian Film or Irreversible, but as they are, it might be moderately tough to stomach for the faint-hearted — you know, since there’s inscest, voyeristic masturbation, and some necrophilia.

The movie seems to jump over some information at times and even to enter some very unplausible situations, such as a resurrection with a not-so-subtle birthing canal representation. But even if the pieces don’t fit perfectly together, the ending makes some kind of sense.

The Verdict:

Although We Are the Flesh is listed as a horror movie, there’s not a lot that will fit into your preconceived notion of the genre. What happens in the movie is, however, pretty horrific, so if you’re in the mood for a fantasy thriller with some disturbing ideas and that may or may not haunt you for days after viewing, then We Are the Flesh is for you. In addition, if you want to see some top-notch acting from a cast that extends beyond Hollywood, this is your gem.

Rock Hard \m/