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The novel was thought to be unadaptable. We the Animals, a breakthrough work by author Justin Torres, touches on the Latin tradition of magical realism. The mixed-race queer protagonist, Jonah, comes of age in upstate New York while seeking comfort in a richly vivid inner world. Making the story come to life onscreen was a tall order.
Rising to the occasion, however, was director Jeremiah Zagar, who brought Jonah’s imagination to life by incorporating animation into the live-action film, which tells the story of a working class Latinx family. We the Animals, in theaters August 17, follows the tale of brothers Manny, Joel, and Jonah, their Puerto Rican father, and their Italian-Irish mother. It’s a visceral narrative that tackles issues around race and queerness head-on.
As Manny and Joel grow into similar versions of their emotionally distant, machismo father, Paps (played by Looking’s Raúl Castillo), Jonah goes a different route that challenges his own concepts of masculinity. The film has already snatched up the Innovator Award at Sundance, and was selected to screen at the Tribeca Film Festival.
We spoke with Zagar and Castillo about taking on this challenging project, the current fraught political climate in which the film will debut, and the importance of telling queer Latinx stories.
What were your reactions to the source material?
Castillo: I started reading the script, and I was a little boggled by the characters at first. I didn’t know what it was, and I thought surely there must be some source material. I found out that it was based on a novel, and I Googled We the Animals and felt sad I missed it. I pride myself on knowing the Latino writers out there, but I mostly read scripts these days. Jeremiah (Zagar) reached out to me directly, and asked to meet for coffee in Carroll Gardens. He wanted to offer me the role of Paps, but for technical reasons, they couldn’t — so they loosely offered it to me and I was really excited. I fell in love with the script and found it really compelling. I went from that meeting to a now defunct bookstore, bought a copy, and read it that day. I was moved by the story.
How much of yourself did you see in Paps, and were you surprised by anything?
Castillo: You know, I’m first generation Mexican American, and I think that the themes of machismo and masculinity have recurred in my life. My father was a lot more like Jonah. He was raised sensitive, the youngest of three boys. His father was a mechanic and my father was a sensitive soul, and so in some ways I’m more like Jonah, but I understand Paps because I’ve been around guys like him all my life.
We live in a time where queer and Latino people feel under attack. Did you consider that before the release of the film?
Zagar: I think absolutely, yeah. I’ll let Raúl speak to his experience, but filming in Utica, being surrounded by those Trump signs everywhere, and being “other” kind of people was concerning. There’s no doubt about it — I love Utica and the town really opened itself up to us — but it’s a scary time. Our president is a monster. Our government is a monster. I think people feel more isolated and frightened than ever. We think about it all the time. I’m from a mixed family. My wife is Black and we get nervous. A lot of the film is about how isolated you feel being “other” when everyone around you is something else. How isolated you feel being the “other” in a family. In some ways, it’s about overcoming the fear of isolation. It’s about triumph and realizing you can go out into the world and be empowered, even when the world feels like it’s crashing down around you. It’s a hopeful film, ultimately.
Castillo: It was the summer of 2016 before the election, so you can imagine the environment. Utica was so welcoming to me, but you could feel it in the air. I was born in a mostly brown town called McAllen, Texas. You never hear the name McAllen. I got to Boston and they were like, Where?
My girlfriend’s from Miami. Then you go to an environment like upstate New York, and you feel like an outsider very quickly. It made me appreciate Justin’s story. It’s based on his life. It made me appreciate his experience and the way he captured that.
What was challenging about creating this film?
Zagar: Everything. It’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever done in my life. In some ways, the precariousness the family in the film is experiencing was the precariousness on set. In the movie, you feel like anything could happen at any moment. Someone could fall out of a truck, or someone could get hurt. I kept thinking, When is it all going to collapse and crumble? And you just trust and hope that it won’t, and you feel like you’re doing something bigger than you.
Castillo: The brilliant thing is, Sheila Vand (who plays Ma) and I are the only “actors” in the film. The kids had never set foot on a set. That was part of what made the process so special. I’ve worked with child actors, and they were special and great, but they come to set with their lines prepared and ready to please, whereas these kids were allowed to run wild.
LGBTQ+ and Latinx representation are low in mainstream media right now. Did that enter your thought process in making this film?
Zagar: Yeah. I think what’s so amazingly beautiful about Justin’s book is how specific it is. It’s a queer novel, and it’s a brown novel. It’s about a mixed family — half Latino, half white — in a place where everyone else is white, and in a way, the film is this unique, special, specific thing in a world of homogeneity. I think that when you watch it, you realize how similar the experiences of this family and this young man are to your own. It is specific and important in that it is representing very unrepresented people right now. It can connect with anybody.
Castillo: What’s really beautiful is to see how it plays over different audiences and how different communities are embracing it. It’s specific but universal. It speaks to this family, but also to all families. I think most families grapple with their own demons and don’t know how to talk about them, and don’t have the tools to discuss something like sexuality. People aren’t given the tools to discuss any type of sexuality. So often we’re like — we have one year of sex ed, some corny teacher comes in and gives silly ass diagrams, and a lot of families don’t talk about it. I have a cousin who’s out, and she and her mother have come a long way. I’m so proud of my aunt for opening her heart the way she has, and for being willing to have a discussion about sexuality. It’s beautiful. I’ve seen it in my own community, so I hope the novel helps people come to terms with some of the things they’re going through.
Any favorite reactions to the film so far?
Castillo: I heard that (author) Justin's mom saw the film and was like, “that’s me up there!” It doesn’t get any more special than that. And Justin was like, “It’s not you.” [Laughs] And it’s a testament to Sheila, what a beautiful job she did in bringing the character of Ma to life.
Zagar: What’s beautiful for me, with the whole thing being out in the world, is that people who love the book love the movie, and that’s a meaningful thing. All I wanted to do was do justice to the book.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
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