Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

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Parents' Guide to

The Wolfpack

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

Strange, fascinating, tender doc about movie-crazy brothers.

Movie R 2015 89 minutes
The Wolfpack Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

Chasespo
Chasespo Adult
March 30, 2019
age 10+

Perfectly fine

Nice story for children and has a good storyline to it
See all 1 parent review

What's the Story?

The six Angulo brothers -- Bhagavan, Govinda, Narayana, Mukunda, Krsna, and Jagadisa -- and their sister were raised and home-schooled inside their family's New York City apartment, only very rarely leaving it to experience the city streets. (They were allowed outside maybe once a year, though sometimes less.) But the siblings found solace through movies. Before long, they began transcribing entire screenplays, making costumes and props, devising make-up, and re-creating their favorites (Reservoir Dogs, The Dark Knight, etc.) in their apartment. Their seemingly limitless imagination eventually reached past the walls of their familiar apartment, paving the way for their first real steps outside.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

The movie could have gone deeper, but to do so would have disrupted its tone, which is spot-on. Filmmaker Crystal Moselle -- who spotted the six Angulo brothers during one of their rare excursions and befriended them -- takes a surprisingly tender approach to the material, never casting blame or making comments. There are no outside interviews in THE WOLFPACK, no psychologists or social workers, and no narration. The father is interviewed sporadically, and we see that he drinks and that the boys fear him.

Instead, Moselle shows that the boys, though deprived of simple, basic things like friends and nature, are smart and likable, and they seem to trust her with their innermost feelings. She avoids darkness and gives the movie a sense of hope as the siblings begin to venture out on their own and eventually begin to look forward to their new lives as independent adults.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how the brothers re-enact violent movies they've seen in The Wolfpack. Why do they seem attracted to movies about violence? How do they depict the violence in their own playacting? Can they tell the difference?

  • How would you describe the siblings' media diet? Did they have positive cinematic role models?

  • What are some of the basic things this family missed out on while the kids were growing up? Did you have those things? Does the movie make you appreciate them more?

  • If you were in the siblings' situation, how do you think you'd fill the time spent in that apartment?

  • How is the father's drinking depicted? What does it mean for him -- and for the rest of the family?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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