We The Animals by Jeremiah Zagar
We The Animals, Jeremiah Zagar’s fist fiction feature, brings to life an intimate storytelling it’s accompanied by the remarkable camerawork of Zak Mulligan. Jonah, the dreamily watchful young protagonist is the youngest of three brothers living with their parents in a cramped working-class household in Upstate New York.
The film is a very personal portrait of Jonah’s explorations as a young artist that transports you to a rich and palpable world that may reminds you of Terrence Malick and Lindsay Ramsay sometimes. “We the Animals,” a film adaptation of Justin Torres’ celebrated semi-autobiographical novel, deploys images, animation, and words through a powerful and refreshing editing style. The film documents the life of the children masterfully in realistic scenarios and blends these elements with poetic and imaginative representations.
The camera travels fearlessly with the characters and reveals their complex worlds in unique ways. There is a constant intuitive exploration that allows the viewers to become immerse in wthat our main character, a ten year old Jonah, perceives and feels. Similarly to diving in the sea, you feel underwater each time that Jonah dreams of drowning. The film offers a mesmerizing journey that will set you free to explore an untamed world. Overall, it is an intelligent film that reflects in the role of the storyteller to document events and deconstruct personal experiences into universal ones.