Three brothers tear their way through childhood, pushing against their parents’ volatile love. While the older brothers take cues from their unpredictable father, Jonah, the youngest, increasingly embraces an imagined world all his own.

For thoughts on We The Animals, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/f5Hoen8ZPYE?t=1430]

Video Quality

We The Animals comes to MOD Blu-Ray in an AVC encoded transfer in 2.35:1 courtesy of The Orchard featuring dreamy cinematography from Zak Mulligan. This presentation is quite adept at capturing the gritty 16mm aesthetic and representing it with great stability throughout. The visual majesty of the film translates well on disc with most shots looking very pleasant. The camera captures some sumptuous landscapes that really pop in high definition. Not only do the textural details render cleanly, but the lush greenery leaps off the screen while other earth tones render naturally. There is no trace of compression artifacts or other digital nuisances outside a very minor bit in the darkest sections of the office where Paps brings the kids. Skin tones look natural throughout the runtime. We are grateful to have this one on Blu-Ray in any form as it has a visual quality that deserves it.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that conjures a very specific mood that transports you to this time and place. This is a very subdued film, but the track does come alive with the environmental sounds. The wonderful score from Nick Zammuto is showcased beautifully here with a gently enveloping use of the surround speakers. The dialogue comes through crisp and clear without ever being overpowered by the environmental effects or the score. The sound design keeps all of the sounds positioned just right in the mix. The environmental effects create a really nice soundscape of brisk wind and noises from the various insects. This is not an action-heavy film so the activity in the low end is very sparse, but a few moments give the low end some extra texture. This is a lovely sounding release that brings the movie to life exactly as it needs to.

Special Features

Making We The Animals: A three-minute promotional featurette which mostly focuses on the experiences of the young performers making the film and how they worked with director Jeremiah Zagar and their adult co-stars.

Outtakes: A nearly four-minute collection of unused moments of the young performers sharing stories with one another.

From Book To Film: A three-minute piece in which author Justin Torres discusses the process of having his book adapted for the screen, working with Zagar, the surreal nature of the casting process and more.

Trailer: The two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

We The Animals is a formidable coming-of-age tale from the very talented Jeremiah Zagar. The filmmaker has a strong talent for knowing when to stay in a moment to get the full emotional impact of what has transpired. Every single performer, from the powerhouse Raul Castillo to the trio of young performers, brings their character to life with great depth and nuance. There are many thematic threads running through the DNA of this movie, but no one issue gets overly underlined in a way that feels hamfisted. This is a finely tuned tale that plays within the upper ranks of independent filmmaking. The Orchard and 1091 Pictures have provided a Blu-Ray for this film that sports a stunning A/V presentation along with a couple of brief special features. I cannot recommend this beautiful movie enough. Highly Recommended

We The Animals can be purchased directly through MovieZyng or through various other online retailers.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: The Orchard has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.