Despite falling into coming-of-age cliche at times, "We the Animals" is a deeply affecting story told through the eyes of Jonah, a boy living in a fractured family. What makes this one a cut above the rest is the expressionist storytelling which captures Jonah's experiences in an intimate way. We feel his animalistic joy when he plays with his brothers and we feel his isolation when his brothers become more like his father. All of this is told in an artistic way that makes pretty much every moment something that could be hung on a frame. Children jumping into the air, beating their chests, swimming, playing. It conjures an image of youthful innocence that is then contrasted with the nasty things they witness. Then there are the more fantastical scenes, such as watching Jonah climb into the grave his dad dug and fly away. Every scene is memorable, even if the story it tells isn't especially unique.
These kids grow up too quickly, witnessing domestic violence which they then internalise in their own destructive behaviour. This isn't a new story, and it's in this element that the narrative falls into tropes. However, even this is told in Zagar's own brilliant way that makes it a memorable watch, even if the domestic violence trope is overused by this point.
But where this film really excels is in how it marks its central character Jonah out from his brothers. At first they seem similar but as it progresses we see how different they really are in a way that is at first subtle, in things such as their reactions to porn and to their father's abusive behaviour. His two brothers are desensitized, but you can see he is different. It's a perfectly executed character arc, like tracing an angle from its central point. What at first seems a minor difference leads to bigger ones down the road until it all explodes in the film's final parts.
Jonah's drawings are an outlet for his confused feelings, but they are also a way of showing us inside his mind, letting us see his innermost thoughts in visual form. We see how porn and witnessing his father about to have sex with his mother affect his sexuality in ways that are then represented in his pictures, in graphic detail. The very last scene, showing Jonah pick up his drawings from the bin and walk away was a bit too much of an open-ended ending for me, although it's possible there is a layer of meaning I missed.
I wouldn't put "We the Animals" in the same spot as 2018's best films, Roma and Leave no Trace. It's still a great work of art.
These kids grow up too quickly, witnessing domestic violence which they then internalise in their own destructive behaviour. This isn't a new story, and it's in this element that the narrative falls into tropes. However, even this is told in Zagar's own brilliant way that makes it a memorable watch, even if the domestic violence trope is overused by this point.
But where this film really excels is in how it marks its central character Jonah out from his brothers. At first they seem similar but as it progresses we see how different they really are in a way that is at first subtle, in things such as their reactions to porn and to their father's abusive behaviour. His two brothers are desensitized, but you can see he is different. It's a perfectly executed character arc, like tracing an angle from its central point. What at first seems a minor difference leads to bigger ones down the road until it all explodes in the film's final parts.
Jonah's drawings are an outlet for his confused feelings, but they are also a way of showing us inside his mind, letting us see his innermost thoughts in visual form. We see how porn and witnessing his father about to have sex with his mother affect his sexuality in ways that are then represented in his pictures, in graphic detail. The very last scene, showing Jonah pick up his drawings from the bin and walk away was a bit too much of an open-ended ending for me, although it's possible there is a layer of meaning I missed.
I wouldn't put "We the Animals" in the same spot as 2018's best films, Roma and Leave no Trace. It's still a great work of art.