#oscarangulo

[doomonfilm]

Thoughts : The Wolfpack (2015)

Film is a wonderful escape from the harsh realities of everyday life.  Many of my early days were spent running around the neighborhood with my friends making films on camcorders.  The Wolfpack is a documentary that explores that sense of escapism, and how it can inspire one to literally escape from situations they may find undesirable but feel they have little control over.

The Angulo family is the center of this documentary, comprised of husband Oscar Angulo and wife Susanne Angulo.  They are raising seven children in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  Based on their beliefs, they choose to home school the children, and at the fear of exposing them to the outside world, the children spend almost all of their days and nights confined to their apartment.  In order to pass the time and find a way to have fun, the six brothers and their sister make their own versions of a litany of films.

What is immediately noticeable is the quality of the work produced by the siblings.  With no budget and limited resources, the siblings are able to make immediately recognizable facsimiles of the films that inspire them by pouring love into each endeavor.  From the nuanced dialogue of Quentin Tarintino to the grittiness of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and more, the group hits all the right notes with amazing accuracy and consistency.  Even the scripts (which are transcribed on typewriter during VHS or DVD viewings) are adorned with hand-drawn versions of the film posters for each respective film.

While film is normally our escape from the outside world, it was actually something that helped expand the world view for Mukunda Angula, one of the more outspoken members of the sibling group.  He was the first of the siblings to leave the home against the wishes of his father, and this move eventually inspired the rest of the siblings to do the same.  The ripple effect caused is truly fascinating to watch... you see them react to New York in all of its glory despite having been raised there, Susanne and Oscar are both forced to make discoveries about themselves, and even Mukunda ends up making amazing strides in his personal and burgeoning professional life.

It would be hard to go into further depth without giving too much away, but what began as a chance encounter between director Crystal Moselle and this unique set of siblings has turned into a beautiful and inspiring documentary.  This one is heavily recommended for lovers of film, lovers of sociology, or esoteric thinkers, and it definitely sticks with you long after the credits have stopped rolling.

[awesomebeasy]

A family, secluded from the outside world in a Lower East Side apartment face tough questions when one of the sons makes a push to go outside. (Fun Fact: 1st looked for it under and got a movie with the title "The Tribe" -- which is a silent movie using mostly Ukrainian sign language to communicate/for dialogue -- not quite the same😆🤦🏼‍♀️) Initially this starts with just talking to the 6 brothers, but later we see both their parents and their younger sister. The art on the walls, and the costumes/props they made (some from cereal boxes and yoga mats!) - whoa. A movie collection of 5000 movies?! jealous. One brother watched them, reverse engineered a script he and his brothers used to film their own versions from - crazy, but a good crazy, like a real life Be Kind Rewind (is that one if their 5000 movies?!😦) I felt bad for the mother, I doubt this was part of how she saw her life going, and then not being able to change or fix it if she didn't realize it was happening right away, ay yi yi - the history of the parents meeting was crazy. (her phone call to her own mother 💔, and the conversation she has with the sons afterwards...aw) I'm glad one of the sons went out ("escaped"?) but, kind of sad that he had to wear a mask so his dad wouldn't recognize him if he saw him, and then people called the police on him 😕. Also the police visit after someone called when they saw a prop gun or the boys were making too much noise while filming. When they finally did get to go outside again seeing them all explore was cool, and the brother excited that his money was going to David O. Russell, Mark Wahlberg, or Christian Bale was sweet. Mukundo getting a PA job was exciting, and I want to see his OP films, the montage of what they did after getting their freedom back and Mukunda moved out was much freer and less claustrophobic than the rest of the movie. I hope life is treating them all well. #documentary #biography #family #NewYork #BhagavanAngulo #GovindaAngulo #JagadisaAngulo #KrsnaAngulo #MukundaAngulo #NarayanaAngulo #VisnuAngulo #SusanneAngulo #OscarAngulo director: CrystalMoselle movie of 2017 number 16) #TheWolfpack