Review of We Are Still Here (2015) by Andrew M — 19 Nov 2016

We Are Still Here starts with such promise. From the opening shot, you're in for a gorgeous film, visually speaking: the camerawork is crisp, and lingers in a way that is mesmerizing but without feeling too long or drawn out.

For the most part, it's a quiet little film, with only hints of a musical score and scenes without heavy amounts of dialogue. As a whole, it seems to evoke the same kind of feeling of the horror films of the 70s and early 80s: in particular, there seems to be a lot of Carpenter here.

All this promise in the first third or so of the film is what makes the final result so disappointing. This is clearly a low-budget film, and a first time directing gig for Ted Geoghegan, and in many ways, it shows.

While the cinematography is nice, many of the other technical aspects, namely sound design and lighting, certainly have a low-budget quality to them. That's not inherently a negative quality, but when some technical aspects are impressive and some aren't, the unbalance can be distracting instead of charming.

The film draws from some of the negatives of 70s horror as well. The acting here is pretty unimpressive for the most part (Barbara Crampton is fine, and certainly a standout), and doesn't help the lack of characterization outside of the two leads, a pair of grieving parents following the death of their son.

With that said, the ending is actually quite poignant, and puts the film's title in a new perspective: unfortunately, it's just not enough to help the film's struggling narrative overall.