美国国家公共电台 NPR 'We The Animals' Becomes A Film, And The Author Approves

 

JENNIFER LUDDEN, HOST:

Writers often have ambivalent¹ feelings when their books are adapted for film. Sure there might be fame and fortune with a movie, but they loathe² giving up control. Some have famously hated the final adaptation. But debut³ novelist Justin Torres loves the film based on his book "We The Animals." That's because Torres worked closely with director Jeremiah Zagar. NPR's Lynn Neary spoke⁴ with them about the collaboration⁵.

LYNN NEARY, BYLINE⁶: Jeremiah Zagar is a documentary filmmaker, but he always wanted to direct a narrative⁷ feature film. For a long time, he just couldn't find the right story.

JEREMIAH ZAGAR: And then when I found Justin's book, I knew it was the right one for me to tell. And I knew I could tell it.

NEARY: There was already some interest in the book from other filmmakers, but Justin Torres was worried about the way the material would be handled until he met Zagar.

JUSTIN TORRES: I didn't want it to be like poverty porn or like a Lifetime domestic violence film (laughter), and he got that.

NEARY: The novel is based on Torres' childhood in upstate New York. His parents - his dad is Puerto Rican, his mother, white - moved there from the city to raise their three boys. In both the book and the film, the parents have a passionate⁸ love for each other and their children. But the passion sometimes turns violent. Zagar says he instinctively⁹ understood this complex family dynamic.

ZAGAR: You know, it dealt with familial love in a way that I had never seen onscreen before and in a way that was very close to the way my family dealt with love. There was an intimacy¹⁰ and a brutality¹¹ and a messiness and a joy that were all kind of wrapped together.

NEARY: While the parents struggled to earn a living - he has trouble holding down a job, she works in a factory - the three boys race through life in a pack with a wild, manic energy.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WE THE ANIMALS")

EVAN ROSADO: (As Jonah) Look at us (taps fingers) when we were brothers (taps fingers). We wanted more.

NEARY: The three young boys who play the brothers had never acted before. Zagar says they worked with him for months before shooting to prepare them for their roles. Zagar drew on his own roots as a filmmaker to create a sense of realism on the screen.

ZAGAR: I decided¹² we should just make it as if we were making a documentary. So everybody lived together. You know, the boys all slept in the same room. And, you know, the parents lived together. And we did sleepovers at the house together. And we created an environment that felt as real as possible.

NEARY: The conventional wisdom in the film business, says Zagar, is that authors should not be around when a film of their book is being made. But he wanted Torres on the set. Torres was not only watching his book being made into a film, he was also watching another fictional¹³ transformation¹⁴ of his life. And while there are scenes of joy and exuberance¹⁵, there are also some tough moments.

TORRES: There was one time where the makeup¹⁶ artist was kind of painting a bruise¹⁷ onto one of the boys. And it had just been so long since I'd seen a little boy with a bruise on his face, but it was something very familiar to me. And that was hard. That was hard.

NEARY: At one point, the boys encounter their father after he's had a fight with their mother.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WE THE ANIMALS")

UNIDENTIFIED ACTOR: (As character) Is she hurt?

RAUL CASTILLO: (As Paps) She just needed some - her wisdom teeth taken out. The dentist was punching on her a little. That's how they loosen up the teeth before they rip them out. The dentist says she'll be better by tomorrow.

NEARY: As he took part in making the film, Torres realized that some things that worked on the stage didn't work when translated into a visual medium.

TORRES: In the book, the father is violent with the mother, but he's also violent with the kids sometimes. But in the film, we shot a scene, and it didn't make it into the film because you just - you kind of couldn't forgive the father after seeing that. And it was very important that you at least understand the father, that at least your compassion¹⁸ extends to his world and his frustration¹⁹ and that you're not - you don't dismiss him as a monster.

NEARY: After that fight, the father leaves home for a while, and the mother takes to her bed. The youngest son, Jonah, who is based on Torres himself, climbs into bed with her and reminds her that it's his birthday.

(SOUNDBITE OF FILM, "WE THE ANIMALS")

SHEILA VAND: (As Ma) Promise me you'll stay 9 forever.

EVAN: (As Jonah) How?

VAND: (As Ma) Simple - you're not 10. You're 9+1. Next year, you'll be 9+2 - like that forever.

EVAN: (As Jonah) Why?

VAND: (As Ma) Because when they ask you how old you are, you'll be telling them that no matter how old you are, you are your Ma's baby boy.

NEARY: Jonah keeps a journal, which he writes in after everyone has gone to sleep. He also draws pictures, which are animated²⁰ in the film - fanciful images that float across the screen. Jonah, says Zagar, is harboring a secret that makes him different from his brothers.

ZAGAR: He knows he's different. And, you know, not only does he know that he's different sexually, but he processes the world differently. He's translating the story of the family that's in his journal. And in the processing of what his family is going through, he's able to free himself from, you know, the gilded²¹ cage that they've sort of created.

NEARY: "We The Animals" does feel very real, says Justin Torres. But at the same time, he thinks there's something magical about it. A tough reality has been turned into a lyrical work of art, which is just what he had aimed for in his book. Lynn Neary, NPR News, Washington.

(SOUNDBITE OF SEBASTIAN FORSLUND'S "WHEN ALL IS OVER")

1 ambivalent   

adj.含糊不定的；(态度等)矛盾的

参考例句：

• She remained ambivalent about her marriage.她对于自己的婚事仍然拿不定主意。
• Although she professed fear of the Russians,she seemed to have ambivalent feelings toward Philby himself.虽然她承认害怕俄国人，然而她似乎对菲尔比本人有一种矛盾的感情。

2 loathe   

v.厌恶，嫌恶

参考例句：

• I loathe the smell of burning rubber.我厌恶燃着的橡胶散发的气味。
• You loathe the smell of greasy food when you are seasick.当你晕船时，你会厌恶油腻的气味。

3 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

6 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

7 narrative   

n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的

参考例句：

• He was a writer of great narrative power.他是一位颇有记述能力的作家。
• Neither author was very strong on narrative.两个作者都不是很善于讲故事。

8 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

9 instinctively   

adv.本能地

参考例句：

• As he leaned towards her she instinctively recoiled. 他向她靠近，她本能地往后缩。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He knew instinctively where he would find her. 他本能地知道在哪儿能找到她。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

11 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 fictional   

adj.小说的，虚构的

参考例句：

• The names of the shops are entirely fictional.那些商店的名字完全是虚构的。
• The two authors represent the opposite poles of fictional genius.这两位作者代表了天才小说家两个极端。

14 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

15 exuberance   

n.丰富；繁荣

参考例句：

• Her burst of exuberance and her brightness overwhelmed me.她勃发的热情和阳光的性格征服了我。
• The sheer exuberance of the sculpture was exhilarating.那尊雕塑表现出的勃勃生机让人振奋。

16 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

17 bruise   

n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤

参考例句：

• The bruise was caused by a kick.这伤痕是脚踢的。
• Jack fell down yesterday and got a big bruise on his face.杰克昨天摔了一跤，脸上摔出老大一块淤斑。

18 compassion   

n.同情，怜悯

参考例句：

• He could not help having compassion for the poor creature.他情不自禁地怜悯起那个可怜的人来。
• Her heart was filled with compassion for the motherless children.她对于没有母亲的孩子们充满了怜悯心。

19 frustration   

n.挫折，失败，失效，落空

参考例句：

• He had to fight back tears of frustration.他不得不强忍住失意的泪水。
• He beat his hands on the steering wheel in frustration.他沮丧地用手打了几下方向盘。

20 animated   

adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的

参考例句：

• His observations gave rise to an animated and lively discussion.他的言论引起了一场气氛热烈而活跃的讨论。
• We had an animated discussion over current events last evening.昨天晚上我们热烈地讨论时事。

21 gilded   

a.镀金的，富有的

参考例句：

• The golden light gilded the sea. 金色的阳光使大海如金子般闪闪发光。
• "Friends, they are only gilded disks of lead!" "朋友们，这只不过是些镀金的铅饼！ 来自英汉文学 - 败坏赫德莱堡