We the Animals is based on the book written by Justin Torres. The film surrounds three brothers. “Us three. Us brothers. Us kings.” The film is a sensitive portrayal of a toxic relationship. There is so much violence in the way the boys’ parents love each other.

There is one scene in particular that boils over from the cycle of abuse, passed down from father to mother to brother to stranger. The youngest boy Jonah is struggling with his own conflict, as many growing adolescents do.

Jonah sprints through the woods with a smile plastered on his face. He stops. Walks. Then runs some more. He climbs through his window avoiding his brothers. In his bedroom, he discovers his bed to be disheveled. So he searches for his secrets. His notebook has gone AWOL. He flings the sheets from his bed. A pillow is tossed into the air. A mattress flung.

He sees his family in the living room. His attention darts from them to the drawings sprawled out on the floor. He scoops up his drawings. His mother reaches out and grabs his forehead to hers. “Where were you?”

He looks in her eyes. His hands scratch and claw at Ma. His roars are heard, His anger felt. His father peels him off of his mother. His legs kick out from underneath his father’s hold.

This scene was intense. It was intense because I could easily see how hurt Jonah was to have his sexuality on display. His thoughts things he kept hidden. The conflict is with the way he dealt with his anger.

He knew no other way to express his anger. He learned this from his father: placing his anger upon someone else.

I wonder how do others experience anger? How do you deal with it correctly?