Since the inception of cinema, there has been directors and writers intent on pushing boundaries; both in terms of taste and extremes. Whilst films such as The Devils, Cannibal Holocaust, Life of Brian, The Exorcist, or Last Tango in Paris have lost their shock value over the years, there are a few which have retained their original impact. The most obvious is Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom. Director Emiliano Rocha Minter used this as inspiration for his first feature, We are the Flesh.
A brother (Diego Gamaliel) and sister (María Evoli) have been wandering the streets of a ruined city for years in a desperate search for food and shelter. When they finally discover a way into one of the remaining buildings, a creepy old man (Noé Hernandez) agrees to let them stay on the condition they help him build a strange cocoon out of junk. Things then take a turn for the primitive and primal.
As a debut, We are the Flesh is nothing if not bold. Emiliano Rocha Minter is clearly influenced by the works of Gaspar Noé, whom he takes several visual cues from. The mixture of murk and bright omits a rather surreal hallucinogenic glow, creating a wrong-footing experience which never relents. It all adds up to a rather disconcerting and strange experience, which is fuelled by the thought that there’s something very important you’re missing.
We are the Flesh is released on DVD and Blu-ray by Arrow Video on Monday.
