Screenings
- Stenen Hoofd – Amsterdam
- Werkspoorkathedraal – Utrecht
The Wolfpack
- long
- 80'
- English spoken
Any screenwriter would wish they thought of this: an immigrant and his wife decide to raise their children sheltered from the big bad American world outside. But they do have about five thousand films to watch. Once again, the truth turns out to be stranger and unrulier than fiction.
Six long-haired boys and a girl re-enact a scene from Reservoir Dogs, dressed in sharp suits and carrying authentic looking guns. They have plenty of time: they’ve hardly left the house since they were born. They are home-schooled by their parents Oscar (born in Peru) and Susanne, both followers of Hare Krishna and driven by the desire to create heaven on earth for their children. Determined to shelter his family from the dangers of the diabolical city, Oscar keeps them locked in their too small apartment. Until one day, one of them can no longer withstand the irresistible urge to go outside.
Filmmaker Crystal Moselle met the Angula brothers on a Manhattan street, after they had won their freedom. She films the family inside and outside their crowded apartment. The six boys spend most of their time re-enacting their favourite films. Decors and props are recreated down to the smallest detail. Moselle makes grateful use of the family archive, with beautiful shots of the frolicking young children, still unaware of their parents’ good, but unrealistic, intentions.
The boys talk openly about their family life, their fears, their dreams and their ambitions. The mother speaks at length as well, but the father stays out of the way as much as possible. It gradually becomes clear that the tight-knit family consists of individuals, each with their own view of the world and their future. A father’s dream comes crushing down, but the dreams of his children can finally begin to take shape.
Nicole Santé
Translation: Marjan Westbroek
