After seemingly wandering a ruined city for years in search of food and shelter, two siblings find their way into one of the last remaining buildings. Inside, they find a man who will make them a dangerous offer to survive the outside world.
For me, this film is all about the rich color of the cinematography (from Yollótl Alvarado), the depth of the sound (from Esteban Aldrete), and the overall atmosphere. I could have used a bit less dizzying camera movement, however, though it does have an underlying purpose. Whether you appreciate the plot and situations or not (and many will not), there is no denying the craft of the camera and sound.
Variety noted that the film was an "extreme Mexican fiesta of incest, cannibalism and explicit sex that should earn detractors and fans in equal measure." Other reviewers have called it simultaneously boring and shocking. It really is all these things... some moments were too much for me to really enjoy the picture, as the shock factor seemed gratuitous -- unlike the extremes of "Visitor Q" or "Salo", which have a clear satirical purpose.
Now, to be fair, "We Are the Flesh" does have its satirical moments. It has digs on "blind patriotism" and attacks the ritualism of religion, specifically Catholicism. As the film progresses, more of this is evident and we realize how much the social conventions and expectations are turned on their head. (Some of the most subtle moments are not even realized until we learn the "names" of the characters from the credits!)
"We Are the Flesh" made quite the impact during 2016 on the festival circuit. I had my first opportunity to see it at Montreal's Fantasia. There was never any doubt that it would be picked up for distribution, though it comes as a surprise that the ones who came along were Arrow Video. Arrow is without question one of the best film distributors in existence, but their focus tends to be classic cult, not contemporary.
Regardless, Arrow pulls all the stops with their Blu-ray. We have new interviews with the director and cast, as well as a highly enlightening visual essay from critic Virginie Sélavy, where she explains easily-overlooked symbolism and draws parallels to the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky. Perhaps best of all ,the disc has two other short films from director Emiliano Rocha Minter: "Dentro" and "Videohome", to really round out the experience.
