A poignant and poetic exploration of childhood experiences, _We the Animals_ centers on a young boy’s realization that he's homosexual. The story, featuring a small cast and limited locations, examines his struggles as he grapples with emerging feelings while navigating strained relationships with his brothers and observing the unhappiness within his parents' marriage, alongside the inevitable loss of innocence that accompanies growing up. Despite tackling significant themes, the film avoids overt political commentary; for example, it doesn’t present a direct challenge to traditional views on sexuality, and domestic violence is portrayed as stemming from both parents rather than solely the father. Prioritizing tone and visual poetry over conventional narrative progression, _We the Animals_ shares stylistic similarities with Benh Zeitlin's _Beasts of the Southern Wild_ and Terrence Malick’s _The Tree of Life_, particularly in its use of a contemplative voiceover narration. The film blends nostalgia, idealism, regret, anger, personal freedom, and the constant tension between hope and reality into a powerful whole. While some might find the plot somewhat thin, it serves as an effective and affecting depiction of childhood’s transformations. Set in upstate New York during the 1990s, the film follows nine-year-old Jonah (Evan Rosado), who lives with his mother (Sheila Vand) and father (Raúl Castillo), alongside two older brothers, Manny (Isaiah Kristian) and Joel (Josiah Gabriel). Living just above the poverty line in a rundown house, the family is close but troubled; Jonah shares a particularly strong bond with his mother. Both parents have volatile tempers that frequently erupt into physical arguments, despite their apparent love for each other and lingering passion. They both yearn to escape their financial struggles, though they recognize the difficulty of achieving this—one works on an assembly line, while the other is a part-time security guard. As Jonah matures, he notices differences between himself and his brothers; he finds as much joy in reading, drawing, and journaling as he does in joining them for adventures. Following a violent argument that leads to his father’s departure and his mother's retreat into bed, the children are left unsupervised. When they steal vegetables from a neighbor, he shows compassion and introduces them to his teenage grandson, with whom they form a friendship. Jonah is taken aback when the boy reacts more strongly to a brief clip of two men kissing in a pornographic film than to anything else shown. He then begins to confront feelings he doesn’t understand or know how to express within an environment dominated by traditional masculinity. _We the Animals_ marks the fiction debut of documentarian Jeremiah Zagar (_In a Dream_; _Captivated: The Trials

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