In Redneckland, USA, a family living on the fringe of a small town has a dark secret. They've been eating long pork for centuries. The latest generation (two teenage girls, one boy around 5) are a little reluctant to embrace the family legacy. Mom dies from kuru (which comes from eating human brains), dad is infected, the locals are getting suspicion when a teen goes missing and bones - showing signs of being boiled) start turning up in the river...and the eldest daughter has to take over for mom when it comes to killing the yearly people feast. Cannibal wackiness ensues.
Analysis
What a great movie. Really, this is one of the best films, horror or otherwise, I've seen this year. The acting is low-key and very believable. The quiet nature of the characters and the way the actors portray them makes the instances of violence far more powerful than they might otherwise be. I was particularly impressed with Julia Garner and Ambyr Childers who portray the teen cannibals. Both do good jobs portraying complex characters, who are torn between a life they have been raised to believe is correct, but not one they really want to embrace. Director Jim Mickie and cinematographer Ryan Samul give the film an appropriately dark, washed out look, one that perfectly captures the grimness of the story without being showing or gimmicky in any way. There are a few moments of graphic violence, but these are used sparingly, like a scalpel, not a machete.
There are a few plotholes that nag. The biggest one is, how does this family keep reproducing for centuries? There is one tiny hint that there might be incest involved, but it certainly is not explicitly stated. So, how exactly do you explain to new family members the finger in the soup? Also, there is a real question of how a family living in a small community could keep this secret for centuries. But, these plot issues do not detract significantly from the overall story and viewing experience.
This is a glorious twist on family values, on concept of loyalty to one's "kin," on the idea that small town America, the place where people have deep roots (our cannibal family's ancestors arrived in the area in the late 18th century), is somehow a better place than the urban coasts. While this is not a new theme (The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a great example of a satirical looks at the American family and pioneer spirit) the sombre, quiet nature of this movie sets it apart from its backwoods slasher relatives.
Additional Notes
This is a remake of a 2010 Mexican film, Somos lo que hay. I have not seen this version, so I can't compare the two. Based on the trailer, however, it looks like it has a very different tone, from the setting (urban) to the parent lost at the beginning being the father, rather than the mother, leading to a different set of family dynamics and familial expectations for the children to the apparent lack of reluctance on the part of the kids to participate in the family past-time. However, I'll have to track the film down and see if these impressions are correct. You can see the trailer here at IFC films.
Verdict
See it now. It is currently on Netflix, so if you can stream, stop reading this blog and check it out. Or, you can buy the movie on Amazon.
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