Movie Review - The Wolfpack

The Wolfpack (2015)

Directed by Crystal Moselle

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

In an apartment on the lower east side of New York City live the six Angulo brothers, their younger sister, their mother Susanne, and their father Oscar who has controlled his family's lives for over two decades by being the only person who holds a key to their abode and only lets the kids and their mother out onto the scary streets of NYC under strict supervision.  At times, over a year has gone by with the brothers never having been outside with their only real knowledge of "modern culture" coming from films.  Their love for cinema -- the only thing they can really latch onto outside of their apartment -- has shaped the way they talk, dress, and act.  However, in January 2010, fifteen year-old Makunda leaves the apartment against his father's wishes setting off a series of events that change the way the Angulo's live their restricted life.

That's the true story of The Wolfpack brought to us by documentarian Crystal Moselle who found out about the family after Makunda's "escape" opened the doors for the other Angulo brothers to be brave enough to explore life outside their apartment.  While Moselle's film is an intriguing glimpse into a family whose lives were unbelievably unfolding, her film feels a little inert.  Part of that is due to the fact that for the majority of the film, she's simply stuck in a small several bedroom apartment with the Angulo's which doesn't allow for much variety to happen.  However, some of the issue arises from the notion that all the Angulo's know about "life" is from the movies and while their reenactments from flicks like Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs are interesting, they grow a bit repetitive and really do nothing to forward the plot.  That said, The Wolfpack is a solid flick and a documentary worth looking into should its subject matter be even remotely appealing.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-