I recently watched We Are What We Are... what a beautiful film! The storyline is like We Have Always Lived in the Castle meets Ric Burns' the Donner Party, equal parts gruesome and gorgeous. But the atmosphere is what got me: it perfectly captures the sublime verdant beauty of late Spring, and the Gothic qualities of of rural America. While it takes place in Upstate New York, it reminded me so very much of Vermont, too, with the otherworldly quality of the green landscape when it's cloaked in rain, and the way the golden hour 1970s trailerpark/ramshackle Victorian buildings are smeared thinly over the weird ancient Colonial world. There are lots of gorgeous shots framed by windows, windshields, and branches, giving viewers a veiled, voyeuristic look into the sisters' insular world. Finally, the soundtrack is magical, featuring old-time country and blues.
