​FILMS

the wolfpack

2015 review number 101:

The Wolfpack: (Documentary): 76 out of 100: A family being locked away, hidden from the rest of the world? Surely this couldn't happen in this day and age, considering all the technologies available at one's disposal. This is exactly what happened with the Angulo siblings, who rarely ventured outside of their apartment due to the demands of their father.

 

The story of the seven Angulo siblings along with their parents are brought to life in this, at times, fascinating documentary. They live on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in New York and even though the streets below them are bustling with activity, their father refuses to allow the siblings to go outside. The family dynamics change when one of the brothers explores the foreign world. All this time, they mainly entertain themselves by watching movies and reenacting scenes from them.

 

There are seven children in the family - six boys and one girl. The main spokesperson is the eldest who manages to 'escape'. One of the boys is shy and doesn't speak much while the sister is not interviewed at all, even though she is the 'special' one in the family according to one of the brothers. It's a shame that she wasn't interviewed as it would have been even more fascinating to gain a young female's perspective on the situation. The domineering father is also not given much screen time and he only appears from the 50 minute mark. The interviewees conduct themselves well and their insights are interesting enough for you to listen to what they have to say.

 

If you are a movie buff, you will enjoy the reenactments. There are scenes from movies like Pulp Fiction, The Dark Knight and Reservoir Dogs. Thankfully they don't encroach into the main subject and are in the film to entertain, so the documentary doesn't simply become a 'talking heads' film.

 

We discover many things throughout the documentary which shows how much this medium can inform as well as entertain. Some of these discoveries include how the authorities wanted to charge the family with a crime so they searched their home for weapons, which proved to be just elaborate props for their film reenactments.

 

Fans of documentaries will salivate over this. The occasional documentary viewer might want that little extra where everyone involved in the situation would be included. Whatever the case, this is still an informative and entertaining documentary about a family we knew little about but know much more after investigating their lifestyle.

 

Featuring the Angulo family

(90 minutes)

Parental advice: Coarse language

Additional scene during or after credits: Yes, during the credits we see some scenes being shot of a film that one of the brothers is making

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDbqcMfUdlI (Movie trailer)

(Reviewed on Monday 13th July, 2015)

 

For my latest reviews, go to this link: http://mlaimlai2.wix.com/magical-movie-review