Despite a fascinating premise, this documentary was ultimately a big disappointment and left me cold. As a movie lover, it's interesting to think about the impact cinema has had on my life - but I never considered what it would be like if all I knew was based on the silver screen. The Angulo children recite and re-enact their favorite films as if the words of dialogue were their own. But their story, as peculiar as it is, ironically doesn't make the most beguiling of documentaries. We aren't provided with enough information to know these kids as individuals rather than a collective whole, so it's hard to keep track of who's who. Also, whether by choice or circumstance, the filmmakers provide limited information as to what led the Angulo parents to raise their children as they did. Then again, perhaps there is no explanation. In any case, it's hard to get involved with people you don't get to know. And beyond the initial peculiarity of the situation, there's not much more to hold our interest. Maybe a 30–45-minute documentary short would have been more appropriate.

Anyone who works in fiction would pay for a story like this one, but the thing is that this was a real story about a group of outsiders with powerful reflections on modern fears, bravery and creativity, featuring a deeply humane filmmaking and a moving tribute to the one love that gathers people all around the globe and makes them sit for a long time in one closed, quiet, darkened room: cinema.

There is such an interesting and unique story behind this documentary, sadly the documentary itself doesn't do it justice. The documentary never take the time to truly establish what is happening, so much potential wasted. At times I even missed any type of Werner Herzog narration or something

On the surface, The Wolfpack looks to be a tale of strangeness and queerness but beneath it all is actually a story of great sadness and fear that really spoke to me. The director does well not to exploit the family in any sense and allow us to gain an understanding of the boys fascination with movies and why they are how they are. The father is clearly and abusive egomaniac with a god complex and the boys didn't know any different until the elder ones matured and started thinking more for themselves. The saving grace of the story is the boys as a unit, there always there for each other and their mother who shows them love and affection that their father derives them of. It's a documentary about the magic of movies and how we can get lost in them but more importantly it's about the importance of family, free-will and the ability to be who you want to be and do what you want to do. Heart-wrenching and uplifting.

Even without the problems of consent and invasiveness brought in, the film still seems like an exercise in having a great story fall into your lap and not knowing quite what to do with it.

3.5/5.0 stars - Grade: B

Some disturbing scenes occur in this otherwise myopic and aimless doco that feels more like a student film than a documentary release. Story focuses on a group of movie-fixated kids who's 'home schooling' basically means being shut indoors until they are teenagers, stoked not so much by the threat of urban violence or youthful mischief as the pathologically controlling tendencies of their inadequate parents. The film never really explains, or explores why the parents are so (insanely) controlling, and the film becomes largely aimless sometime after the midway point. The characters are, I guess willingly, part of an exploration of an underprivileged family that feels more exploitative than anything else at times. The Wolfpack lacks story beats or craft; the film is a typically unflattering attempt at "real" film art from New York, but like most other "real" cultural products from the great city, it simply doesn't add up.

A troubling window into family cut off, isolated from the world. It's disturbing how alienated these kids are due to a father with such issues, but also touching how they found such solace in film. The fact that these kids were able to turn out as well adjusted as they are, thanks to film is something to behold. It's also comforting.

Pretty standard documentary about a rather odd family. Maybe the strangest thing about them is that they're not even more messed up given the way they were brought up. Should be noted that they are pretty damn talented at making props for films etc and their acting is surprisingly good. They have talent for sure.

The Wolfpack is interesting and highly respectful, but lacks some cinematographic excellence. Still, important for many to see, but you need the right mindset for this documentary. It seems to properly start after 30min.

Cinephiles everywhere will love this.

7 kids, one apartment, a lot of time on their hands, no experience with the outside world, all the movies they can watch. What you have is one peculiar documentary about perhaps the most interesting family I've ever seen in film. The film doesn't always give them the kind of star treatment they need, but director Crystal Moselle was just out of film school at the time, so let's not forget to grade this on a curve. Actually, the fact that she made this straight out of film school is a magnificent feat. The Wolfpack is fascinating, haunting, and hopeful. I felt for these 7 kids. I liked them, a lot. They are so sweet, and curious about the world, and they articulate it through the movies. You know, I relate to that so much. I for one, have lived through the movies as well, perhaps not as thoroughly as these guys, but when you have social anxiety as a child you tend to gravitate towards the make-believe. I loved these kids, I hated their father (even though he seemed to redeem himself at the end), and I wish them all the best of luck going forward. This documentary is GOOD.

Not a mind-blower, but fairly interesting.

Six brothers grew up confined to an apartment in a New York City housing project because their father did not believe in having contact with the outside world. They loved movies, and have developed an elaborate personal mythology that involves re-enacting their favourite films with homemade props and costumes. A fascinating setup turns into a fairly disappointing documentary when you realize it has nowhere to go after the first hour.

A documentary about 7 children raised in an apartment in NYC with no contact at all with the outside world and only movies for entertainment. The movie takes a side road to focus on and not the easy expected one. I WILL say DO watch the special features on the disc after the movie is over to see what became of the 6 boys primarily featured in the movie after the making of the movie was over.

Hard to appreciate this properly as my professional radar was pinging constantly, "coercive control", "attachment figure", "resilience" etc. A once-in-a-lifetime subject for the filmmakers, but I wasn't entirely satisfied with how it was explored.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0W91FrTlYk

A Sundance winner, this documentary uncovered the secret life of seven children (six of them boys) who were confined to their Lower East Side NYC apartment for most of their lives, learning about the world from home-schooling and more importantly from movies, which they re-enact with glee (and paper maiche). We are treated to excerpts from Reservoir Dogs, Batman Begins, and Pulp Fiction. Of course, the documentary can't begin until the children have been found, around the time that the oldest was 20 years old, perhaps. There is no explanation about how the director, Crystal Moselle, stumbled into this story but she is offscreen most of the time as the four older kids reveal their secrets (and we also see found video-recorded footage from their childhood). The mother and father show up to explain themselves (the father is a control freak who was afraid of the NYC environs). Although there are hints of darkness, the film is largely optimistic, tracking how the young men start to reassert themselves once the parental controls are lifted. Some of them would like to be film directors, naturally. Amazingly, this is not a freak show but that may be testament to the careful and ethical shaping of the material by Moselle that lets the protagonists speak, but leaves many unanswered questions (and hence, drags a bit).

While the film around it feels a little to haphazard to truly fly and certain situations are not fully explained, the story at the heart of Crystal Moselle's fascinating documentary is one that is utterly unique and a sometimes scary, sometimes insightful examination on the way in which films play an important part in the lives of the everyday people who here in the Wolfpack happen to be the anything but run of the mill Angulo family. Virtually locked away inside their cramped New York City apartment by their strange and possible quite sinister father, the Angulo family which consists of one solitary sister and a haggle of movie loving boys find solace, entertainment and also in many ways a reason to live in their large collection of movies that they have found joys in recreating and living in through their bizarre early years. Meeting the family at a time where they've become more progressive and less inclined to heed to their fathers strange wishes, Moselle found the family at an ideal time where they were willing to both speak about and showcase their unique set of circumstances and while this is intriguing, Wolfpack truly shines in its presentation of the Angulo's when their movie making mojo is in full swing through an abundance of footage the family shot of their endeavours. Whether it's faithful re-enactments of Reservoir Dogs (Tarantino seems to be a favourite of the clan), scarily good Dark Knight recreations or even original films they've written and developed, it's unlikely that viewers would've seen anything quite like what's shown in Moselle's film and its fascinating to witness the growth in these children as they slowly discover the difference between life in the movies and life as we know it, not to mention the divide between watching the world pass by through a window and walking through it. It's frustrating that the Wolfpack is not a more proficient production but despite its amateurish nature and lack of hard investigation it's still a memorizing watch thanks to its stranger than fiction story and the Wolfpack will provide a buzz to any budding film aficionados as to what can be achieved through effort and a love for the medium. 3 Coney Island beach outings out of 5 www.jordanandeddie.wordpress.com

Excellent documentary that manages to stay totally non-judgemental about a really unique set of circumstances.