Director: Crystal Moselle | 4/5 The Wolfpack Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack, an intimate portrait of six brothers shut away for almost two decades in an NYC apartment by their father, is not a perfect documentary. Moselle basically ignores the legal issues that arose in reality, leaving you with more questions than answers. However, this documentary sores above all of its contemporaries in one aspect alone: along with legal insight, there is also an almost complete lack of judgement for the rights and wrongs that took place in a tiny apartment on the Lower East Side. Most other documentarians would have ripped the Angulo family patriarch a new one after discovering what he did to his family for so long. A seclusive person who fears socialization, an ex tour guide from Central America locks away his seven children - six boys, one mentally challenged girl - and forces his wife cut all of her connections from her past life, including contact with her mother. The man certainly comes off as creepy in the film, but its not because Moselle paints him this way. While it would have been warranted, doing such a thing would have taken he spotlight away from what is truly remarkable about this family. |
That would be the six sons, all given Hindu names like Bhagavan, Krsna, and Narayana. What is most remarkable about these boys is how, well, normal they are. Sure, they have no idea what Google is and are not knowledgable of modern dress, but they speak clearly, are extremely talented, and, most triumphantly, still have a hopeful outlook on life. They may not love their father, but to hear them talk and sympathize with their mother is one of The Wolfpack’s many joys.
So, what exactly have the Angulo’s been doing for all these years cooped up in that apartment? The answer: watching and apparently endless string of movies, from Tarantino to Nolan, from Breaking Bad to Game of Thrones. They have watched Reservoir Dogs so may times, they have memorized the script, made prop guns, have matching tuxes, and have even re-filmed portions of the movie - the boys are actually extremely good orators and decent actors. They draw inspiration and life lessons from The Dark Knight. They model their speech after Pulp Fiction characters - not always the most pleasant thing for teenage boys to do. You have never seen movie love like this before. It’s on a whole new level.
This brings me back to my original point. Instead of making a documentary about an evil father who has ruined the lives of his seven children and wife, Moselle has crafted an endearing portrait of brothers taking refuge in each other and finding strength and purpose in their shared situation. Moselle’s sequencing often lacks a narrative structure, scattershot and all over the place, but few films this year, documentary or not, have managed to paint such a strong portrait of family and the way that art, whether it be Tarantino or The Beatles, can pull people through the toughest situations.
(Available on iTunes)
So, what exactly have the Angulo’s been doing for all these years cooped up in that apartment? The answer: watching and apparently endless string of movies, from Tarantino to Nolan, from Breaking Bad to Game of Thrones. They have watched Reservoir Dogs so may times, they have memorized the script, made prop guns, have matching tuxes, and have even re-filmed portions of the movie - the boys are actually extremely good orators and decent actors. They draw inspiration and life lessons from The Dark Knight. They model their speech after Pulp Fiction characters - not always the most pleasant thing for teenage boys to do. You have never seen movie love like this before. It’s on a whole new level.
This brings me back to my original point. Instead of making a documentary about an evil father who has ruined the lives of his seven children and wife, Moselle has crafted an endearing portrait of brothers taking refuge in each other and finding strength and purpose in their shared situation. Moselle’s sequencing often lacks a narrative structure, scattershot and all over the place, but few films this year, documentary or not, have managed to paint such a strong portrait of family and the way that art, whether it be Tarantino or The Beatles, can pull people through the toughest situations.
(Available on iTunes)