Based on Justin Torres’ 2011 queer novel, We the Animals is a moving coming-of-age story directed by Jeremiah Zagar.
The film is loosely inspired by events experienced by Torres and his family.
It centers on Jonah, a boy of 10, and his tumultuous journey coming to terms with his sexuality and masculinity in a mixed white and Puerto Rican household in upstate New York.
Torres made the film, released 7 years after his book, has gained renewed relevance in an era when the president of the U.S. refers to marginalized people as “animals.”
However, “I wasn’t surprised either because I did grow up in this,” he said. “It’s all there. Those resentments and that racism, that was all nascent where I grew up. It’s not like everybody was a monster where I grew up, but there were enough.”