Search The Archive

Search the film archive

"We the Animals is this year’s Moonlight … a beautiful, evocative look at a young boy figuring out his place in the world." – IndieWire

In a decrepit house deep in the woods of upstate New York, Jonah and his two older brothers live a seemingly idyllic existence of wildness, exploration and adventure, overseen by their doting white mother and domineering Puerto Rican father. But there is a darkness behind the façade and as the long summer stretches on, Jonah will have to come to terms with the violent fractures in his own family, and a simmering self-awareness that will forever set him apart.

Acclaimed documentarian Jeremiah Zagar makes a remarkably assured transition to feature filmmaking in the lush and dream-like We the Animals. Adapting Justin Torres’ semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, Zagar coaxes entrancingly natural performances from a cast of non-actors as he delivers a bold and mesmerising reverie on family, identity and the forever tangled path into adulthood.

Winner of the NEXT Innovator Award at Sundance.

"A refreshing and beautiful coming-of-age tale that will haunt you for days … Clearly inspired by Benh Zeitlin‘s masterpiece Beasts of the Southern Wild." – The Playlist