We the Animals

R

Released Aug 17, 2018

1 hr. 34 min.

Drama

LGBTQ+

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for We the Animals: Trailer 1

List

92%

103 Reviews

Tomatometer

76%

500+ Ratings

Audience Score

Manny, Joel, and Jonah tear their way through childhood. Their mother and father have a volatile relationship that makes and unmakes the family many times over, often leaving the boys fending for themselves. As their parents rip at one another, Manny and Joel harden and grow into versions of their father. With the triumvirate fractured, Jonah, who is the youngest, becomes increasingly aware of his desperate need to escape. Driven to the edge, Jonah embraces an imagined world all his own.

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Critics Consensus

Dreamlike and haunting, We the Animals approaches the coming-of-age odyssey with a uniquely documentarian eye.

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ari v

Next Day Update: It's honesty/resonance and disconformity became clearer when thinking about it while listening to Joyner Lucas' ISIS the next day; especially where supporting characters are concerned. Still a little too romantic about the central character's likeness to reach the heights of Precious or Moonlight or Bests Of No Nation, but closer to that than to wokepleasers like Get Out, Parasite or Knives Out. Original Review: Pretty good, but I'd be surprised if it sticks with me long. Perhaps because it's little too convenniently in-vogue abd articised to a point of disconect.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

georgan g

Beautiful imagery, good acting, but very depressing. The only hopeful part was the child flying away.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Wow. Honestly so beautiful and accomplishes exactly what it set out to do. The last ten (or five?) minutes evoked a lot of emotion from me, and of course the movie is very pretty visually. Does a great job conveying brotherhood and childhood, as well as the difficulties impoverished people face, all through the convincing lens of a child. Gorgeous film.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Poetic, beautiful and heartfelt. We the Animals is a sublime, hypnotic and coming of age story about brotherhood, love and finding yourself in the world. Every shot looks like an oil painting. Camera and sound are used expressively and powerfully like any director with a very specific sense of vision would use.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/16/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I absolutely love this movie. It is beautiful and tells a necessary and realistic tale of childhood. It's characters feel completely human, and you can understand how each of them got to where they are without agreeing with them. In many ways it reminds me of Moonlight, and just like it We the Animals is a film that everyone should see.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/26/23

Full Review

dave d

Beautiful film, that would have made a wonderful short film that is stretched to feature length. Coming of age drama about a boy finding himself that is a little too much like 'Moonlight'. Documentarian Jeremiah Zagar's first scripted feature and i use the word script loosely. There's not much meat on the bone. Not my cup of tea! Final Score: 5.1/10

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Jeremiah Zagar

Director

Raúl Castillo

Paps

Sheila Vand

Ma

Evan Rosado

Jonah

Isaiah Kristian

Manny

Josiah Gabriel

Joel

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We the Animals: Trailer 1

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Wendy Ide

Observer (UK)

One of the discoveries of the year so far.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 16, 2019

Full Review

Mark Kermode

Kermode & Mayo's Film Review

It deals with difficult subject matter with extreme grace.

Jun 14, 2019

Full Review

Ed Potton

Times (UK)

While the child actors are often excellent, they don't get much to say, and it's asking a lot for boys of primary-school age to express soulful depths through glances alone.

Rated: 3/5

Jun 14, 2019

Full Review

Brian T. Carney

Washington Blade

A visceral yet lyrical film...

Dec 8, 2022

Full Review

M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

We the Animals is a mishmash of puzzle pieces that form a coming-of-age tale reminiscent of Moonlight, but that won’t quite fit the way they should (which is rather the point). Moving, and almost mystical.

Rated: 3.5/5

Aug 17, 2022

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Every Movie Has a Lesson

Blistered with honesty and toughened by sensitivities, the acting performances are vivid and tragic.

Rated: 4/5

Jun 26, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

Manny, Joel, and Jonah tear their way through childhood. Their mother and father have a volatile relationship that makes and unmakes the family many times over, often leaving the boys fending for themselves. As their parents rip at one another, Manny and Joel harden and grow into versions of their father. With the triumvirate fractured, Jonah, who is the youngest, becomes increasingly aware of his desperate need to escape. Driven to the edge, Jonah embraces an imagined world all his own.

Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Executive Producer: Philipp Engelhorn, Michael Raisler
Screenwriter: Jeremiah Zagar, Daniel Kitrosser
Distributor: The Orchard
Production Co: Cinereach, Public Record
Rating: R (Nudity|Language|Strong Sexual Content|Underage Drug and Alcohol Use)
Genre: Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 17, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 13, 2018
Box Office (Gross USA): $400.4K

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