Blu-ray Review: We Are the Flesh (2017)

"What in the Hell Just Happened?"

I'm honestly not sure how to even discuss this movie.

We Are the Flesh isn't a movie that you can really review in a traditional way, as it's not even really a traditional movie; it plays more like a surreal, abstract fever dream that offers equal doses of social commentary and exploitation. People are going to take away different things after watching it, and they're going to love it and hate it in equal measure.

I recently watched a German flick called Wetlands (it's on Netflix, if you're interested), and I was shocked at how fucked up and graphic it was. Well, We Are the Flesh may have just upped the ante in the WTF Sub-Genre.

The world has ended, becoming a filthy barrio in which people scrounge to survive. Mariano is an old, creepy man who spends his time in an abandoned building, making LSD out of chicken and banging a drum, so he's making the most out of the apocalypse. He's just lonely is all.

EL DIABLO?

A brother and sister (Lucio and Fauna) find their way into his makeshift home, where they seek shelter from the world outside. Mariano greets them with insane rantings, eggs, and poisoned meat. He also jerks off as the sister gives her bro a blowie, which leads to them doing some hardcore incestuous aardvarking, which leads the old man to dropping dead as he delivers the money shot, which leads Fauna to mount his dead corpse and ride him to orgasm, because she really misses him after only knowing him for a few days. Then she pees in the hallway.

And from there, things get even crazier and weird, to the point where I'm not sure what even happened.

It sure was something to see though.

KIDS TODAY!

This is a really weird movie.

We get a crazy old man who seems to be some sort of Post-Apocalyptic messiah, making drugs from chicken parts and chemicals; banging a snare drum like a maniac; and forcing a brother and sister to do all sorts of deplorable things while preaching all kinds of insane mumbo jumbo about the evils of society and the pleasures of the flesh, the pinnacle of which has to be the scene where he jerks off while watching the two of them have sex.

I'm pretty sure that the character exists to provide, we, the audience, with some scathing commentary about the social injustices of modern day life in Mexico.

IT'S A VISUALLY BOLD MOVIE.

The sister, played by the beautiful and very brave Maria Evoli, swallows her brother's pork sword in full, graphic view; stands above him and drips menstrual blood on his mouth; pees on the floor while chanting; forces a girl into having the creepiest threesome ever with she and her brother; and has sex with a corpse.

I'm pretty sure that her character was meant to show how easily young people are lead astray, or maybe how they have no morals and are destroying themselves with excess or something.

ARE THERE NO BATHROOMS IN MEXICO?

The bottom line is that this movie is surreal, sexually graphic, odd, nonsensical, disturbing on many levels, and possibly even brilliant. Then again, it may be self-indulgent trash. Either way, it's like nothing we've seen before, and anyone who watches it is bound to have a strong opinion on the matter.

And the ending -and I mean the very end, after the homeless gang bang (that's called a Soup Kitchen here in the U.S.)- well it puts a whole new spin on the entire thing.

LUCIO GENTLY WEEPS INSIDE OF THE GIGANTIC NEON VAGINA

Lots of blood in this one, including, but not limited to: throat slitting, cannibalism, and a severed head.

EASY, CONYO, YOU'RE ABOUT TO SERVE THE GREATER GOOD.

Everyone in this movie got naked, and they show everything in full graphic detail, including close-ups of private parts, oral sex, masturbation, lesbian sex, group sex, necrophilia,incest, and even a gang-bang.

FAMILIA POR SIEMPRE.

We Are the Flesh is either the most pretentious excuse to cram a movie full of gratuitous sex and violence ever, or it may be a work of genius that deconstructs the current state of Mexican society in a wildly visceral way, and I honestly don't know which one it is.

This is a stark and graphic movie, and it was interesting to see something so shocking and artistic, I just don't know if it was much else other than shocking. It sure hasn't left my mind in two days though, so that's saying something. I guess our middle-of-the-road grade directly reflects our indecision. 

If you like messed up, graphic movies that "go there," then this might be the best Blu-ray you've ever come across. We give it a

Maybe don't bring it to family movie night though.

C

We Are the Flesh is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.

Maria Evoli is as brave as she is beautiful.

Blu-ray Review: The Treatment (2015)

There's something about Foreign Crime Thrillers that captivates and unsettles us like no other. I don't know if it's because they're grittier, or because they tend to feel heavier and more realistic than most of their U.S. counterparts do, but they always seem to get to us in a more profound way.

To us, The Treatment plays much like I Saw the Devil; it's a fantastic, well-made movie on all fronts, but damn it if it isn't also bleak and uncomfortable as hell to watch at the same time. We're glad that Artsploitation Films sees the beauty and merit in disturbing films like this, or else we probably wouldn't even know that it exists, and what a shame that would be.

Disclaimer: We don't usually put warnings before our reviews, because you're adults, and as Horror fans, you're built tough enough to endure even the nastiest of on-screen things. If however the topic of sexual abuse, especially as it pertains to children, is something that you just cant (or choose not to) deal with while watching a movie, then you may want to skip this one, as it centers around that topic in a very real way.

This is a fantastic movie in many ways, but it's also a very tough one to watch.

Detective Nick Cafmeyer has had a rough life. As a child, he witnessed his younger brother being abducted by a local creeper, only to never see him again. He has had to live with the fact that he was probably abused and murdered and worse, ever since, and it has made him into a dark shell of a man. It doesn't help matters that the not only did the guy who did went free because of insufficient evidence, but that he still shows up every year on Nick's birthday to taunt him about it. Fucker.

THAT SON OF A BITCH!

When a local boy does missing, after his family was bound & gagged while an unseen intruder abused him and then took him away, Nick becomes convinced that it is somehow connected to his brother's disappearance. As he delves deeper and deeper into the sick world of the pedophiles that seem to be all around him, Nick begins to lose his shit, and rightly so.

MAN, YOU NEVER WATCH A BAG FULL OF VIDEOTAPES GIVEN TO YOU BY A CHILD MOLESTER. NOT EVER. 

We're not going to say anything else about the plot here, because to do so would do this film a great disservice by spoiling its twists, turns, and reveals. We will say though that you had better be prepared to flinch uncomfortably, and even look away from the screen from time to time, because this movie gets progressively darker as the minutes go by, and that darkness never really lets up. 

HE NEEDS A HUG. AND SO DID WE AFTER WATCHING THIS MOVIE.

The Treatment is gritty, realistic Crime Thriller that dives into the topics of child abuse, pedophilia, and even child pornography head first, and holds nothing back in its attempt to tell its story. Most of the nastiness is alluded to, and it's talked about rather than shown, but there are some pictures and glimpses of video footage depicting said acts that are tough to see. I personally had to look away a few times.

As the film shows us more and more about what happened to the abducted children, it gets pretty uncomfortable to watch. There's one big reveal which makes the depraved goings on turn from horrible, to downright abominable, but that's really the strength of the film; uncovering the everyday atrocity of child abuse, and throwing it right in our face. It wasn't done to be exploitational or shocking, but that doesn't make it any easier to stomach. In fact, the dead-serious tone of the movie might have made it even worse. 

And that ending...

Uncomfortable subject matter aside, The Treatment is a well-made Thriller that had us chewing our nails as its "whodunit" plot unfolded. It was like Se7en meets 8MM, with shades of Prisoners (2013) thrown into the mix, only the resulting film was seen through a much more disturbing lens. Director Hans Herbots knows his pacing, and he certainly knows how to tell an effective, gripping story. If this level of storytelling is what's going on in Belgium, then we need to see more Belgian films.

As we're not up on much of Belgian cinema (or its acting talent), most of the cast were new to us. Geert Van Rampelberg (now that's a name) was excellent as Nick, and after seeing what he is capable of as an actor, we're going to have to go seek out some of his TV work like Salamander and Cordon. Hopefully we'll see him in some more movies down the line. Laura Verlinden was also great as one of the victims of "The Troll."

The entire cast did their jobs really well.  

THAT POOR WOMAN...

When your kid tells you that there's a troll at his window, listen to him. Also, there are some sick fucking people in this world, and they all need to go to sleep tonight and not wake up in the morning.

OR MAYBE WE JUST LET THE COPS PUT THEM ALL DOWN. THAT'LL WORK TOO.

If you can deal with its tough subject matter, The Treatment is an excellent film. We're suckers for any story involving a man on the edge trying to get justice (or revenge) for those who have been wronged, especially when those poor unfortunates are children, and that is exactly what this movie is.

Artsploitation Films has been bringing some fantastic foreign genre movies to the global market for years now, but they've really kicked it into high gear in 2015 with movies like Cub, Horsehead, Reckless, and now, The Treatment. Going forward, we'll be seeking out anything that they release in the U.S., and so should you.

A-

The Treatment is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

Laura Verlinden is a Belgian QT whom we hope to see more of in the future.

VOD Review: The Boy (2015)

Before settling in to watch The Boy, you really should know that it's the first in a planned trilogy of movies, showing Ted's (the boy) growth from creepy kid, into a full-fledged sociopath Serial Killer. Well, we're assuming that he'll become a Serial Killer, but the sociopath part is 100% dead-on.

So, The Boy is the first part in a planned trilogy, which means that it ends on kind of an open note. Since a lot of Horror movies end the same way (usually with a shocking "It's not over!" kind of twist), it's not the biggest deal in the world, but it may put some people off.

Oh, and it's produced by Elijah Wood. That's also fairly notable.

9-year-old Ted and his father lives in a ramshackle motel out in the middle of nowhere, which no one ever wants to stay at, because it's so shitty and out of the way. While dad spends his days drinking himself into a retarded stupor, Ted spends his time more productively by gathering road kill, which earns him a fat quarter for every dead critter that he brings home. Ted is saving up for a bus ticket, you see, because even at 9 he knows he has to get the hell out of this Godforsaken place.

HE'S LOOKING AT THAT KID LIKE HE'S A BOTTLE OF GIN.

Ted is an angry young boy who has a creepy, vacant look in his eyes. He's got no friends, and he's quick to argue with his dad. He's also keen on torturing an animal or two, but when the occasional guest does come through the motel, he also likes sneaking into their rooms at night to stand in the shadows and stare at them. If they happen to be passed out drunk, maybe he'll put a hand over their mouth and nose, and try to smother them. I guess when you live an isolated life, you have to invent your own fun.

YEAH, HE KILLED IT.

When a shady new guest arrives, Ted sees a chance to escape his hellish life, and so he tries to befriend the man... which of course leads to nothing good for anyone. We will say no more on the plot, so as not to spoil anything for you, but just know that at least Ted lives; because the sociopath children always live in these type of movies.

THIS IS WHY WE DON'T HAVE KIDS.

The Boy is a fascinating movie that gives us a chance to see what is essentially the birth of a sociopath killer happening right before our eyes. Maybe Ted's been wonky from the get go, or maybe his mother leaving he and his father to rot in that lifeless motel just flipped some sort of creepy switch in his brain. Either way though, he's becoming something terrifying.

In a way, The Boy is a coming of age tale, albeit one that involves a child's fascination with death instead of a burgeoning romance, or something sweet like that, as is  par for the course with most coming of age movies. Here, we get a seemingly normal kid who is desperate to escape his life, and unable to do so, so he turns to violence to mete his anger. Played convincingly by Jared Breeze, we can sympathize with Ted and his plight, but we're also wary of him, because we just know that he'd kill us if he got the chance...

...JUST LIKE HE KILLED THAT DEER.

This is a slow, depressing movie, and while it's beautifully shot, and boasts some solid acting, it's also a movie that takes its time getting anywhere. At times, its measured pace was a bit much to endure, especially since the whole thing played so somber and hopeless. We'll definitely be checking out the sequel, when and if it ever comes to be, but we sincerely hope that it ups the ante as far as the amount of action and incident goes.

It was interesting to see Rainn Wilson in a dramatic role for a change. We loved The Office, and he was brilliant as Dwight Schrute, but here we get to see him spread his wings and play a troubled character, and do so rather well. Next, we want to see him play a deranged maniac like The Scranton Stranger; we think he'd pull it off perfectly.  And let us not forget about David Morse, who is as great in this one as he always is, which is to say really great. An overall solid job was done here by a solid cast.

IS HE THE SCRANTON STRANGLER? THE WORLD MAY NEVER KNOW.

A very solid movie in most respects, The Boy is one that could have benefited from a quicker pace and a bit less lingering in the plot department. It's atmospheric as hell, and it sets a hopeless tone early on which never lets up, but that ends up being both a blessing and a cruse; it's a really slow burn, and the payoff doesn't end up being quite good enough to reward us for our patience. It was good, but we wanted a bit more. We're selfish like that.

Don't get us wrong, we liked The Boy, and it's a really good movie, it's just very slow, and it feels like it's essentially just a set-up for a sequel. Which it is. Still, it's more than worthy of a rental, if you're in that Indie/Art House Horror kind of mood.

B

The Boy is available now on VOD, and in Limited Theatrical Release.

There isn't much of a female presence in The Boy (because evil, patriarchal men are holding strong creative women down on purpose, I'm sure), but the ladies who did show up did their best to brighten up this dark, depressing tale. Thank you ladies.