Movie Review: We the Animals

We the Animals *** ½ / *****

Directed by: Jeremiah Zagar   

Written by: Jeremiah Zagar and Daniel Kitrosser based on the novel by Justin Torres.

Starring: Sheila Vand (Ma), Raúl Castillo (Paps), Evan Rosado (Jonah), Josiah Gabriel (Joel), Isaiah Kristian (Manny). 

 

We the Animals is a film from the point-of-view of a 10-year boy, watching his parents’ volatile relationship play out in front of him. The 10-year-old is Jonah (Eva Rosado), and he is the youngest of three boys – who almost look like three different versions of the same kid a few years apart in age than brothers. They have the same haircut – shaved, not quite bald – are often walking around shirtless. Their father (Raul Castillo) is Puerto Rican, their mother (Sheila Vand) is Italian – the met when they both lived in Brooklyn, although now they live in Upstate New York. Over the course of a few months, these three boys – but especially Jonah – will go through some changes, some confusing times – some related to their parents, some more interior.

 

At first, things seem nice in the family. Paps can be fun and charming – he spends times with his kids, cooking breakfast, teaching them salsa dancing, etc. His relationship with Ma is still passionate to say the least – when things are good, they are all over each other. It comes then as a little bit of a shock when Paps lashing out violently at Ma – leaving her battered and bruised. He goes away for a while, but is then back – and all is forgiven. Only gradually do we realize that this is part of a long standing pattern – one we’ll see play out time and again throughout the course of the movie.

 

The two older boys never really developed in any meaningful way – except that Jonah views them as normal, and he isn’t. He is starting to have sexual feelings – but doesn’t really understand them. He pours those – and every other confused feeling he has – into his pencil crayon sketches, that occasionally the movie will bring to life in animated sequences. Jonah is likely gay – he certainly obsesses over an older boy with long blonde hair enough – but it’s never really clear if he really knows what that means.

 

The film was directed by Jeremiah Zager, making his feature debut after years of working in documentary films, as both a director and editor. His style here though brings to mind early David Gordon Green – think George Washington – and maybe even Terrence Malick. He certainly uses voiceover like Malick does, but not always in the best ways. The film is usually at its best the quieter that it is – when its observing these brothers, especially Jonah, and observing how they observe their parents. The movie, which was shot on film, is beautiful to look at and its best creates a dreamlike atmosphere. In many ways, this is a standard look back at childhood – it was based on Justin Torres’ semi-autobiographical novel – but it’s not one heavily tinted with nostalgia. The camera sees the abuse going on, even if Jonah has trouble articulating what he sees.

 

Which is one reason why the two performances by Castillo and Vand are so key to the movie working. They have a real chemistry together. Castillo understands how a guy like Paps operates – someone who can be a decent loving guy much of the time, but just has that angry, violent temper that makes him snap repeatedly. He’s a mean, scary guy – but his family cannot help but love him. Vand is quieter, but equally good, as Ma. She has shown up in several movies – movies that I’ve liked her in, like the lead in The Girl Walks Home Alone at Night for instance – and yet I didn’t realize it was her until the film ended. On one hand, she is very sympathetic of course – but she is far from a perfect parent either.

 

We the Animals is a film that shows that Zagar’s future should be in films like this – which is better than the documentary work of his I have seen. He has an eye for this type of filmmaking, and the film is sensitive, well-made and well-acted. Some things are laid on too thick – the score for instance – but for the most part, We the Animals is a very good, small movie.