• Home
  • Meetings
  • Events
  • Blog
  • E-Board
  • Around Boston
  • Join
Northeastern University's Film Enthusiasts Club
.

Andy Robinson on The Wolfpack

5/6/2015

0 Comments

 
This article is part of NUFEC's ongoing coverage of the Independent Film Festival Boston 2015.

In a wolfpack, there is a leader: the Alpha male. They command respect, keep order, and enjoy first dibs on dinner. In The Wolfpack, Crystal Moselle’s debut documentary, there is no leader; there is only the shadow of a father.
Picture
The Angulo family lives on the Lower East Side. Six brothers and one sister are kept in seclusion from the outside world, whose windows are really only the small television set they have and a library of films numbering in the thousands. Images from Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan, and Quentin Tarantino fuel their eagerness to create – in the form of meticulous re-enactment. They recreate the scripts from scratch by transcribing the movies in real time, make costumes out of yoga mats and cereal boxes, and get into character using music from tape decks.

For roughly twenty years, this was the way things were in the Angulo household. Homeschool during the day, then movies. Dad, a Salinger-esque hermit, would stay in his room. The father’s obsession with his children’s safety verges on abuse; by trying to protect them from unspecified forces outside, he turned them into shut-ins. For all that, home video shows a warm upbringing. The children bond, polite and well-spoken. They celebrate birthdays and have parties. Throughout the documentary, there is no sign of child abuse by the father. There's a brief discussion of him slapping their mother several times during their upbringing, but largely he only drifts in and out of the frame.

The hook may be the reenactments: silly, heartfelt renderings of Batman and Tarantino characters. But the real intrigue comes from the father’s cultish impact on the family. The patriarch is the most interesting character, but unfortunately he has the least screen time.

Moselle positions herself as a fly on the wall in the claustrophobic apartment, but is shy about addressing her influence on the family dynamic. As the first and only guest in their apartment, it’s hard to believe that Moselle was merely an observer throughout several years of filming.

We only get a few brief encounters with the father and mother. I was left with more questions after the credits rolled. Moselle teases us with these enigmatic people, but leaves us shy of any real closure. The brothers eagerness to leave the family makes you eager with them, grinding your teeth in frustration that one little lock can keep such bright young people away for so long. The story is captivating enough to keep you going, but what it really needs is a better director–or maybe a leader.

Grade: C+
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    AJ Martin
    Andy Robinson
    Anime
    Anthony Formicola
    Anu Gulati
    Arjun Agarwal
    Arzu Martinez
    Ben Garbow
    Brandon Isaacson
    Brian Hamilton
    Carter Sigl
    Dan Simeone
    Discussion
    Elizabeth Johnson Wilson
    Eliza Rosenberry
    Emily Fisler
    Erick Sanchez
    Eric Tatar
    Essays
    Festivals
    Gabrielle Ulubay
    Haley Emerson
    Here's Some Movies
    Ian Wolff
    IFF Boston
    IFFBoston 2015
    Interviews
    Isaac Feldberg
    Kunal Asarsa
    Library
    Lists
    Marguerite Darcy
    Marissa Marchese
    Mary Tobin
    Meghan Murphy
    Mike Muse
    Mitch Macro
    Neel Shah
    Netflix Instant Watch
    Parth Parekh
    Patrick Roos
    Profiles
    Reviews
    Short Films
    Television
    This Week In Movies
    Tyler Rosini

    Want to Write for Us?

    Contact NUFEC President Ian Wolff at nufecblog@gmail.com if you're interested in writing for this blog!

    Archives

    April 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    October 2019
    September 2019
    June 2019
    April 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.