Matthew Turner | On 14, Jun 2019

Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Cast: Raúl Castillo, Sheila Vand, Evan Rosado, Isaiah Kristian, Josiah Gabriel, Giovanni Pacciarelli
Certificate: 15
Watch We the Animals online in the UK: Amazon Prime / Curzon Home Cinema / Apple TV (iTunes) / Prime Video (Buy/Rent) / Sky Store

Documentary filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar (In a Dream) moves into narrative features with this engaging and evocative coming-of-age tale, based on the 2011 novel by Justin Torres. Set in rural upstate New York, it centres on the lives of Jonah (Evan Rosado), Manny (Isaiah Kristian) and Joel (Josiah Gabriel), three young brothers who are left to roam more or less free, while their parents – Puerto Rican Paps (Looking’s Raul Castillo) and white Ma (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night’s Sheila Vand) – are out at work.

In conventional plot terms, there isn’t much more to the story than that. Ma and Paps fight, sometimes physically, and frequently consider splitting up. Similarly, Paps is often frustrated by his low-rent job opportunities, while Ma works all hours at the local brewery – at one point, Paps gets fired because the boys have to sleep over in secret at his security job. Meanwhile, the youngest boy, Jonah – who also narrates the film – finds himself gradually pulling away from his more aggressive older brothers, as he experiences the first stirrings of his sexuality.

Zagar’s direction perfectly captures the children’s point of view, so that they only catch glimpses of arguments or fights and don’t always understand what they’re seeing. This is especially true when they visit the basement of a local teenager (Giovanni Pacciarelli as Dustin) and have their first experience of pornography – the two older boys react with crude comments, but Jonah is transfixed, aware that he’s witnessing something significant.

Like the book, the film presents a series of snapshots that feel like formative coming-of-age experiences, such as Paps teaching Jonah to swim by just dumping him in the water and letting him sink (Zagar omits the presumed rescue and just cuts to the sulky journey home). The way Jonah processes these experiences is brilliantly conveyed by the use of a series of animated scribbles (credited to Mark Samsonovich), the scratchy pen drawings coming alive on the page and perfectly capturing the emotional impact left by whatever he’s witnessed, whether it’s violence, love, happiness or loneliness.

Zagar’s documentary experience is evident in the way he coaxes such extraordinarily naturalistic performances from his young cast. Of the three, Rosado is the standout, delivering a sensitive, thoughtful turn that seems to be constantly soaking in its surroundings. In that sense, both he and the film are reminiscent of the first third of Moonlight, as well as David Gordon Green’s George Washington. There’s also strong support from both Vand and Castillo, who have believably volatile chemistry together – it’s all too easy to see why the children are often confused by their behaviour.

The film is further heightened by Zak Mulligan’s dusky, evocative cinematography, which paradoxically brings an idyllic that-perfect-summer atmosphere to the often drab and desolate rural landscapes (the film was largely shot in Utica, New York). In addition, the film benefits from some impressive sound design work, as well as an effective, understated score from composer Nick Zammuto.

We the Animals is available to watch online on Amazon Prime Video as part of a Prime membership or a £5.99 monthly subscription.

 

Where can I buy or rent We the Animals online in the UK?

Add to Watchlist