We Are What We Are (2011) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

The Parker family home is situated in a remote, rural area surrounded by dense wilderness, creating an isolated environment that traps the family in their dark traditions. The home serves as a grim backdrop that embodies the family's secretive nature and their separation from the local town. This isolation is reinforced by the surrounding wilderness and the stormy weather, physically and emotionally distancing the characters from society.

Foreshadowing: The isolation of the home is established early through the relentless storm that cuts off the family from the outside world.

• parker family home
• remote location
• isolation
• wilderness

The movie primarily takes place in present-day, but it weaves in flashbacks to pioneer times to explore the origins of the family's dark traditions. These historical flashbacks connect to themes of survival and desperation that have been passed down through generations, showing how the family's gruesome practices evolved over time.

• time period
• pioneer era
• present day
• flashbacks

Cannibalism in the film represents deep-seated family traditions and survival instincts that have been passed down through generations. The Parker family has been trapped in this cycle of violence and desperation, forced to confront questions of morality and human nature when facing extreme circumstances. The theme explores how extreme situations can drive people to commit horrific acts, challenging conventional notions of right and wrong.

• cannibalism
• tradition
• survival
• morality
• family secrets

Grief is a central emotional force that drives the family's descent into brutality, particularly through Frank Parker, the patriarch. After his wife's death, Frank becomes consumed by sorrow, which transforms into madness and violent behavior. This overwhelming grief contributes to his embrace of the family's dark traditions and fuels the family's overall descent into horror, raising questions about how emotional trauma manifests in destructive ways.

Foreshadowing: Frank's grief is immediately apparent following the opening scene where his wife dies, setting the tone for his unraveling.

• grief
• frank parker
• death
• emotional trauma
• family breakdown

The relentless storm that occurs throughout the movie creates a powerful atmosphere of isolation, physically and emotionally distancing the Parker family from the outside world. This isolation amplifies the family's despair and drives their darker impulses, making them more vulnerable to their primal instincts. The family's secretive nature and the remote location further entrench their separation from society, trapping them in their grim cycle.

• isolation
• storm
• secrecy
• separation
• desperation

Frank Parker is the patriarch of the Parker family, consumed by grief after his wife's death. This sorrow morphs into madness and violence, leading him to embrace and enforce the family's dark cannibalistic traditions. His inability to let go of the past drives him to commit horrific acts, and he forces his children into these traditions, making him both a tragic and terrifying figure.

• frank parker
• patriarch
• grief
• madness
• family traditions

Rose Parker is the eldest daughter of the Parker family, caught between her sense of duty to the family and her growing instinct for survival. Throughout the film, she demonstrates resilience and experiences significant moral conflict. Her character arc involves evolving from a dutiful daughter into someone who ultimately rebels against her father's brutality, making her central to the story's theme of resistance and empowerment.

• rose parker
• eldest daughter
• rebellion
• survival
• duty

Iris is the more reluctant sister who struggles with her father's authoritarian control and her own conscience, representing innocence gradually becoming aware of her family's darkness. Rory, the youngest son, embodies pure innocence caught in the family's horror, often confused by his father's domineering influence. Both characters highlight the human cost of the family's secretive traditions and serve as vehicles for showing how the family's actions affect the most vulnerable members.

• iris parker
• rory parker
• younger siblings
• innocence
• family trauma