We the Animals

I wasn't sure what to expect from this film, but it turned out to remind me of two masterpieces- Moonlight and The Tree of Life. Its camerawork is sometimes reminiscent of Malick and the flowing, dreamy-like atmosphere he creates, but the narrative is also sometimes very much in the structure of Moonlight. Regardless, it's a fantastic film filled with fantastic performances that deserves to be seen.

"The young always have the same problem - how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another." Quentin Crisp

This year has arguably no more impressionist yet realistic narrative than We the Animals. Based on Justin Torres' autobiographical novel, it tells of three adolescent brothers from a mixed-race couple (she white, he Puerto Rican). They survive their parents' volatile relationship by creating their own fantasy world or simply hiding from abuse.

The discursive plot allows their world to become interrelated set pieces of watching their parents work out their conflicts with director Jeremiah Zagar's assured point of view frequently from the boys'. Occasionally levitation punctuates the story in a magic realism that gives a poetic gloss to the hardscrabble journey.

Among the many lovely angles is Ma (Sheila Vand) coddling the poetic Jonah (Evan Rosado), whose gradual discovery that he's gay is subtly handled. His notes and illustrations hidden under his bed provide a punctuation for the rough world above the blankets.

Despite the family's dismal blue-collar challenges in upper New York State, the boys show a resilience to give hope to an essentially unsettled life. The artfulness of the magical realism and Jonah's writings lend a sympathetic cast to the proceedings. Zagar and co-writer Daniel Kitrosser offer a home not entirely grungy, in fact rather tidy, that suggests order can prevail.

Symbolically the water motif, with images of drowning and rainy cleansing, helps coordinate the despair and hope inherent in the story. Nick Zammuto provides just the right low-key music of sadness and kindness. In all, the film coalesces around the challenges of disadvantaged boys surviving the rain into the sun.

It's not easy.

"It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are." e. e. cummings

I lived parts of this story. My parents have a toxic marriage. My Dad is mentally ill and was abusive. He has bipolar. My childhood felt so free at times, like this kid, but as I got older I realized how trapped I was. I'm 27 now, free enough of my childhood, but the memories always linger. Watching this was painful, but sometimes you ave to acknowledge what happened.

We the Animals is a series of very interesting ideas. Some are powerful, some are provocative, and some don't string together as well as they should. But all ideas revolve around dealing with dysfunctional parents, and the lessons that some children take from living in that environment. The three boys, as well as the parents seem authentically real. In 16mm, this film seems more like a home movie than an indie narrative feature. When the imagination runs wild, We the Animals soars (sometimes quite literally).

If you enjoyed Moonlight or The Florida Project, chances are you'll enjoy this one as well. A simple, bleak view into the lives of a family with nothing to hold onto other than each other. A boy finding himself and the circumstances he's in as he grows. A beautiful simple concept that you wouldn't expect to see as a film. Nothing but appreciation for this movie. Don't expect to be blown away, this isn't in any way shape or form a blockbuster entertainer. But see it as you see an abstract painting by Van Gogh, and let it take you where it chooses.