| Are We Not Cats | |
| Director: | Xander Robin |
| Cinematography: | Matt Clegg |
| Production Companies: | Greatest Planet On Earth |
| Distributor: | Cleopatra Entertainment |
| Runtime: | 77 minutes |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $90,000 |
Are We Not Cats is a 2016 horror romance film written and directed by Xander Robin, about two strangers who spark romance through an unusual habit. The film stars Michael Patrick Nicholson, Chelsea Lopez, and Michael Godere.
The film premiered at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival and was listed as one of the top 10 horror films of 2018 by Rotten Tomatoes.[1]
After losing his job, girlfriend, and home in a single day, Eli, a desperate twenty-something accepts a delivery job in a remote upstate backwater. There he meets Anya, a beguiling young woman with whom he shares a strange habit. Eli's skin picking is reminiscent of Excoriation disorder and Trichotillomania, while Anya's hair picking is reminiscent of Trichotillomania and Trichophagia, leading to a climactic case of Rapunzel syndrome.
The film had its world premiere at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival[2] as the closing film of the Critics Week sidebar, and its U.S. premiere at the Chicago International Film Festival, as well as screening at 2016 Sitges Film Festival, 2016 Stockholm International Film Festival, 2016 Oldenburg International Film Festival and winning best narrative feature at the 2017 Sidewalk Film Festival. Are We Not Cats was released in North America in 2018 by Cleopatra Entertainment.
It was later released to stream on Shudder.[3]
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 91% based on 11 reviews.[4] On Metacritic it has a score of 68% based on reviews from 5 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[5]